


Sweet Redemption

by AmyScarlet, savvysp



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst?, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bakery, Car Accidents, Child Death, F/M, Fluff, Mild Gore references, My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Undertale Neutral Route - Neutral Pacifist Ending, References to Depression, Relationship(s), Undertale Monsters on the Surface, future skippable smut, mentions of cannibalism, not sure what qualifies as angst but just in case!, possible references to ptsd, reader is female, slow-burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:15:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 100,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21897289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyScarlet/pseuds/AmyScarlet, https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvysp/pseuds/savvysp
Summary: Monsters have suffered underground for too long, having been freed by Aliza they seek peaceful lives on the surface. Five years later you meet a rather large, rather loud skeleton who wishes to work in your bakery. You didn't know about his brother, or how protective he is of this giant cinnamon roll, but will he be a friend? Or is he determined to give you a bad time.Babies first fanfic... Please be nice!!
Relationships: Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 1540
Kudos: 1180





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've read so many undertale fics that I finally decided to give one a shot! I've never written a story before so I apologize if it's terrible. Constructive criticism is welcome! The first chapter is mostly world-building blah you've probably read a thousand times so sorry for that but I think it's necessary? Anyways.. here we go!

It’s been five years since the monsters came to the surface led by the small child, Aliza. It was quite the shock to find out that magic existed, that an entire race of creatures had been held captive beneath the mountain you grew up near. The humans went into a panic at the sight of these “beasts” and for awhile it seemed the creatures would be decimated, when it was revealed what the monsters had been eating it sent a wave a panic and distrust throughout the world but the child convinced world leaders that these beings had suffered tremendously at the hands of humans, and all they wanted was peace. After all, monsters are made of love, hope and kindness and even humans had resorted to cannibalism in dire situations. It didn’t take long for the world to take pity on the monsters (the discovery of monster gold didn’t hurt the transition) and soon teams of humans were flooding the mountain to help monsters adjust. Temporary housing was set up for the monsters and relief packages were sent in to ensure the monsters were well fed for the first time in years.

The years spent under the mountain had left many monsters with issues, so professionals were sent in to help acclimate them to society and to work towards healing the minds of so many traumatized monsters. Their sins absolved in the eyes of the humans, monsters could transition into society once they had been cleared by psychiatrists, many of them moved into the city at the base of the mountain to begin a new life.

*****

The smell of sweet pastries fills the air as you put your last batch of cookies in the oven. Covered in sugar and flour you wipe the sweat from your brow and turn to wash your hands. It had been a busy week for you when your only employee had to quit so she could move to help take care of her parents. You didn’t blame her; you knew how precious time with your family was when every minute counts but it had been sudden so you hadn’t had time to hire a new assistant at the bakery.

It was a nice place you had, just a small shop on the outskirts of town that sold breads and treats along with simple coffees and teas. You had been baking since you were young, and it had always made you happy when someone tried your confections. Watching the way their eyes light up when the flavors hit their tongues and the sounds some made inadvertently was always the greatest compliment you could receive.

You’re interrupted from your musings by the doorbell chiming, signaling a customer walking in. Your greeted by a rather tall skeleton monster with braces wearing what looks to be glasses taped to the side of his face. (How cute!)

“Hi there, welcome to The Great EsCake what can I do for you?” you say with a smile.

“HELLO HUMAN! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT IS A PLEASURE I’M SURE. I COULDN’T HELP BUT NOTICE THE SIGN IN YOUR WINDOW REQUESTING A CONNOISSEUR OF TREATS TO ASSIST YOU IN YOUR ENDEAVORS. I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW I’VE SPENT THE LAST FEW YEARS PERFECTING THE ART OF COOKING AND I WOULD BE HONORED IF YOU WOULD GRANT ME THE POSITION”

… Oh your heart. The skeleton monster is standing with his hand on his chest, chin bone jutted out proudly and.. is his scarf waving? There’s no breeze in here?

“Uhm.. well Mr. Papyrus, you can call me Y/N and you’re right I do need a new assistant in here. Have you ever baked before?”

“WHY YES HUMAN! AFTER REACHING THE SURFACE I MADE IT MY GOAL TO KNOW ALL TRADES OF THE KITCHEN. I’VE BECOME QUITE THE MASTER CHEF IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF.”

“Well I won’t have time this evening but how about you come in tomorrow around 10 and we can do an interview and I’ll test your skills? The bakery is closed Monday’s so there should be plenty of time for you to whip up a batch of cupcakes for me. Just go ahead and fill out this form and bring it back with you tomorrow and we can see what we can do!”

“VERY WELL MISS Y/N, I SHALL BE IN TOMORROW TO DAZZLE YOU WITH MY SKILLS NYEHEHEH!!”

And with that he was out the door. You’re left baffled and amused at this curious skeleton and hoping with the energy that he has, that he truly has the skills you need because working alongside such an upbeat monster would be a delight!


	2. Chapter 2

The following day you’re at the bakery preparing the kitchen for Papyrus’ interview and at exactly 10am the skeleton walks in the front door holding a bag and wearing a smile.

“GREETINGS MISS Y/N! I SPENT ALL EVENING THOROUGHLY PREPARING FOR MY INTERVIEW! I EVEN BROUGHT ALONG MY TRUSTED CHEFS ATTIRE.” He boasts proudly.

Oh this skeleton is going to be the death of you.

You smile at Papryus and gesture to the kitchen. “Perfect, you go ahead and step back in the kitchen while I lock the doors!”

Papyrus follows your instructions and goes into the kitchen, while you lock up to prevent anyone from mistaking your shop for open. When you walk into the kitchen your greeted by the skeleton wearing a rather small frilly pink apron and chefs hat looking extremely pleased with himself.

“I LOOK LIKE I BELONG HERE DO I NOT!” He says with his chest puffed out again. (where is that breeze coming from???)

You can’t help but grin at the adorable monster. “Yes you do, lets hope you have the skills to back up your words then!”

“WHY OF COURSE! I SHALL BAKE YOU THE MOST DELICIOUS CUPCAKES YOU’VE EVER HAD! MAY I BEGIN OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO START WITH THE QUESTION PORTION OF OUR INTERVIEW?”

“Go ahead Papyrus. You can bake up the cakes and while they are cooling I’ll give you the verbal interview. Show me what you’ve got!” You smile.

“PREPARE TO BE AMAZED HUMAN FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THROUGHOULY INTEND TO MAKE THE MOST DECADENT VANILLA BEAN CUPCAKES YOU’VE EVER HAD! NYEHEHEE”

In a flash he’s pulling out ingredients and flying around the kitchen like he belongs. He’s cracking eggs and stirring batter like a champion, you can tell he’s had some practice and you’re excited to taste what he makes up. Once he’s gotten the cupcakes separated into the pan and in the oven, he begins working on the frosting. Cream cheese and sugar are blended perfectly with the butter and vanilla and the smell of the cupcakes baking has your mouth watering. After all these years spent baking sweets, you’ve never gotten rid of your sweet tooth and it’s always been a treat to taste someone else’s creations.

Finished with his preparations, Papyrus begins cleaning up the mess left behind, “Oh Papyrus you don’t need to clean up, it’s just the interview so I can take care of the mess!”

He looks at you with mock offense, “NONSENSE! I HAVE CREATED THE MESS AND I SHALL CLEAN IT UP. IT IS ONLY PROPER.”

Well no arguments there, a potential employee who insists on cleaning has definitely earned him some points! While he cleans you look over his application, it doesn’t look like he’s had any jobs since moving to the surface but he has taken several cooking courses at the local college. His references include the course instructor from the college and wait... the monster ambassador? The timer goes off interrupting your thought and signaling the cupcakes have finished, and Papyrus pulls them out to cool. They smell heavenly! You can’t wait to see if the taste matches the smell.

“Alright then let’s go ahead and begin. It doesn’t look like you have any work history, care to explain?”

Papyrus looks a little uncomfortable, “Why yes, it was a little difficult to find a job after coming to the surface… humans may have accepted us monsters but some were still reluctant to work alongside us. It was especially difficult for me given my… appearance. BUT! I HAVE MADE STEPS TO REMEDY THAT AND WORKED HARD TO STUDY THE CULINARY ARTS KNOWING ONE DAY I SHALL SUCCEED!”

So he was discriminated against for being a monster then? Or was it because he’s a skeleton? It’s understandable that working next to a giant walking, talking skeleton making one feel uncomfortable but still, he’s so friendly it’s impossible not to enjoy his company!

“Well Papyrus I’m sorry to hear that, I can assure you that won’t be a problem with me. Can I ask how you’ve managed to get by without a source of income these past five years?”

“WHY THE GOLD OF COURSE. WE HAD AN ABUNDANCE OF IT IN THE UNDERGROUND AND YOU HUMANS SEEM RATHER FOND OF IT, SO WE’VE HAD NO PROBLEMS MAKING ENDS MEET. IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS ALL SORTS OF ASSISTANCE AS WELL SO MY BROTHER AND I HAVE BEEN RATHER COMFORTABLE SO FAR.”

That’s good to hear, it would be a sin to have this poor monster on the streets after everything they went through underground, just because someone was a little uncomfortable with his appearance!

“That’s good to know. Now the bakery is open six days a week, closed on Mondays. We are open from 6am to 2pm so I would need you here from 5:30 until close, if you have an issue with working all six days we can arrange an extra day off, however I really would need the help all six days because I can only afford to hire on one assistant.”

“THAT IS NO CHALLENGE FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I WOULD HAPPILY BE HERE ALL SIX DAYS TO ASSIST YOU IN THE KITCHEN, I HAVE PERHAPS BEEN A BIT STIR CRAZY WITH THE ROYAL GUARD BEING DISBANDED.”

“The Royal Guard?” you ask. You didn’t see anything written on his application about working for a guard.

“AH YES. I UHM… I DIDN’T INCLUDE IT IN MY APPLICATION BECAUSE IT was something I did in the underground”

Well. He looks completely uncomfortable now. You can guess what may have happened, you had of course followed the news reports of what had happened underground. Not much was said in detail but you got the general idea and it’s clear that he isn’t proud of everything he may have done. Not a subject you need to broach right now, you’ll move on.

“No need to explain Papyrus, let’s move on huh?” He looks relieved. “You have a couple of references here, one including the monster ambassador?”

“WHY YES! THE HUMAN ALIZA IS A VERY DEAR FRIEND TO ME, AND IS HAPPY TO GIVE ME A GLOWING PERSONAL REFERENCE CONSIDERING I HAVE NO PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS TO REFER TO! AND MY MENTOR FROM THE CULINARY ACADEMY WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH MY SKILLS THAT HE HAS ALSO AGREED TO SUPPORT MY CLAIMS TO GREATNESS.”

“Perfect! I’ll of course need to call them to back up your claims first, how about you tell me what it is that you’re looking for in this career?”

“WELL I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I’VE ALWAYS BEEN AN AMAZING CHEF NYEHEHE! I USED TO SPECIALIZE IN SPAGHETTI and have since begun a more… vegetarian regime WHICH IS WHY I HAVE DECIDED TO PERSUE THE ART OF BAKING. THE SMELLS, THE TASTES, THE SHAPES THAT DESSERTS CAN TAKE HAVE ALL LEAD ME TO DESIRE TO BRING THE SMILES TO ANYONE WHO SAMPLES MY CONFECTIONS!”

You smile, he seems so genuine and someone who enjoys baking for similar reasons as you is exactly what you need in this kitchen.

“Alright Papyrus, I don’t think I need to ask you any more questions, the biggest test here are your abilities. Those cupcakes should be cool enough to ice so how about you get those ready for me?”

“WITH PLEASURE MISS Y/N, NYEHEHE!”

With practiced precision Papyrus ices the cupcakes, swirling icing across each one and adding tiny bone sprinkles that he must have brought with him. They are adorable and with the little bones look like a great treat to serve around Halloween, you think. You pick up one of the cupcakes and take a bite while Papyrus stares at you with figurative stars in his eyes, clasping his hands together over his jaw in anticipation.

You close your eyes and let the creamy vanilla wash over your taste buds. The flavors are rich and the cake is moist, the bone sprinkles add a tiny crunch to the cupcake that seems to fizzle away as you chew.

“Papyrus, this is one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted!!”

Papyrus beams at you, “WHY OF COURSE! IT WAS I WHO PREPARED IT. DID I NOT TELL YOU OF MY GREATNESS? NYEHEHEHEHE!!”

“Of course, I should have never doubted you! But I do have to know, what were those sprinkles made from? They had an odd texture that I can’t quite explain.”

“OH, WHY THOSE ARE MADE OF MAGIC. I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND THAT I BROUGHT THEM FROM HOME, MONSTER FOOD HAS UNIQUE PROPERTIES THAT DISPERSES MAGIC INSTEAD OF BEING DIGESTED.”

That would explain the fizzing. Interesting, if you could get some more items like that it may attract more monster customers to your bakery along with humans interested in monster food.

“That’s amazing Papyrus, is this something that I could get access to? I’ve never considered it before but adding magical items to the menu might expand our customer base.”

“WHY OF COURSE, THERE ARE MONSTER SHOPS THAT SELL WHAT YOU NEED. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ACCOMPANY YOU THERE SOMETIME, UHM… DOES THIS MEAN I HAVE THE JOB?”

“Well Papyrus I still need to call your references just to cover bases but as long as those check out I would be happy to have you on board. Your talent in the kitchen is remarkable and your attitude is just what this place needs. I’ll give those references a call this afternoon and I can let you know tonight if everything goes to plan. I’d need you to start first thing Wednesday if so, and we don’t have a uniform so if you’d like to bring your current attire that would be just fine!” You slide a piece of paper towards him. “This is the pay I can start you out at if that’s okay with you?”

“OHHH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! YOU WON’T REGRET IT. I WILL BE EAGERLY AWAITING YOUR CALL THIS EVENING! NYEHEHE!!”

And with that he was off again, just as energetic as the day before. You smile to yourself, talking to the ambassador of monsters seems a bit intimidating for a reference call, but the culinary instructor should be enough for you to finish the interview process.  
You look to the cupcakes Papyrus prepared. “Oh I should have sent these home with him!” You box the cupcakes up and set them aside, you’ll ask if he would like them when you give him a call this evening.

With that finished you go to your office and make the call to the culinary instructor. He gives Papyrus a glowing reference just as you suspected, it turns out Papyrus has been taking the class for several years trying to learn every recipe he can in hopes of becoming a master, and he’s not far off! You’re excited to have help at the bakery and working with the bubbly skeleton will be a wonderful experience.

You give Papyrus a call to let him know he’s got the job, to which he insists on starting tomorrow. He needs to come pick up his first official batch of cupcakes after all! So with that you leave the bakery and head home for the evening.

You don’t notice the stranger watching you from the alley across the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uh.. hope that was alright.. It's not a whole lot and the story may take a minute to pick up so I apologize!! I'm really nervous about this. I don't know what my writing skills are like so hopefully later chapters pick up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some references to mild gore, and attempted assault!

The Underground was a living hell. The years following Frisk’s departure were spent in a constant nightmare, the CORE had nearly shut down leaving the monsters with minimal power and food. No one knows what happened to King Asgore but many guessed, and after Empress Undyne took the throne the monsters began to feel hope again.

Tch. Hope. What do they know about hope? Hope isn’t trapped under the underground in near darkness, eating tree bark and occasionally the dust of your fallen neighbors to stay alive. Hope isn’t tearing into the flesh of fallen humans to feed your brother, seeing him lose the pieces of himself that have kept you going throughout the years. Life underground had changed everyone, monsters were made of love, hope and kindness and the things they had to do to survive had driven more than one to madness. Sans saw it in the faces of all his former friends, even Toriel who had spent so much effort trying to protect the fallen children had bouts of madness that drove her to do the one thing she had fought so hard to prevent.

But that’s over now, Sans reminds himself. Aliza came and changed it all, she truly helped the monsters see that what they had done was survive and with a little encouragement even the worst person could change. When the barrier was broken and monsters were released no one was sure what the humans would do, but they were given a chance. A chance to change and heal, to see the sunshine and smell the fresh air. But is it really a chance when they fear us? Five years we’ve been up here and yea, the humans “forgive us” and allow us to live among them but that’s because we were dripping with magic and gold and they wanted to get their greedy little hands on it.

It’s a good thing too, because finding work was damn near impossible. Nobody wanted to hire the terrifying, traumatized beasts out of fear so he and Paps had been living on savings they had from before the famine. Gold didn’t do them much good after the fact, monsters were more concerned with filling their bellies than filling their pockets, so it just sat unused for years. They’ve still got some savings, it’s not like they spend it on much other than food but Paps had insisted on getting a job to keep from the monotony of staying home constantly.

That’s fine, we need to find work someday, but these humans are all so untrustworthy. So Sans has to keep an eye socket out for his brother, make sure nobody tries to do anything that could take away the hope Papyrus has finally started to get back.

Which is how he ended up here, outside The Great EsCake watching the human smile and talk to Paps while he shows off his well-earned baking skills. Sans doesn’t trust that human, none of the others have given Papyrus a chance so why would this one be any different? He’s just going to get his hopes crushed again when she inevitably finds a reason not to hire him.  
But he looks so happy, could this be going well? Is there a chance Papyrus may have finally found a place he belongs? Ironic it would be in a place so clearly named with a pun, maybe this human will be different. Best not to get his hopes up until Paps finishes the interview though, stars knows it wouldn’t be the first time a human put on a fake smile to get their guards down.

Here he comes, Sans better get out of there before Papyrus notices him and accuses him of being a “mother hen” again. Wait… Sans feels a shudder run down his spine. He looks around but doesn’t see anyone nearby. Maybe it’s his imagination, then again his instincts have never steered him wrong before. He’ll just get a better vantage point to ensure Paps gets home safe, he shortcuts to the rooftops to watch over his brother. “never again…” he thinks.

Papyrus leaves the bakery with a smile on his face and heads home, unaware of the shadow that is his brother keeping tabs on him. When he walks through the front door he sees Sans lounging on the couch, exactly where he left him this morning.

“SANS YOU LAZY BONES HAVE YOU MOVED AT ALL SINCE I LEFT!?!”

“heh s’pose i lost track o’ time paps. m’sorry.”

Papyrus glares daggers at Sans for a few seconds before perking up again, “NO MATTER BROTHER, I HAVE GRAND NEWS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE NEARLY INSURED MY POSITION AS ASSISTANT BAKER AT THE WONDERFUL ESTABLISHMENT DOWN THE ROAD! ANY MINUTE NOW I SHOULD RECEIVE THE CALL INFORMING ME OF MY SUCCESS.”

“s’great paps. i knew you’d knock’er socks off with those bone-afide treats.”

“……..I WILL NOT LET YOU SPOIL THIS MOMENT SANS. I’M GOING TO WAIT FOR MY FUTURE EMPLOYER TO CALL ME, YOU NEED TO GET OFF THE COUCH AND DO SOMETHING WITH YOURSELF BROTHER. AND PICK UP YOUR SOCKS!!!!”

“ok”

“I’M SERIOUS SANS PICK THEM UP”

“ok”

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING UP”

“ok”

“…..NYEEEEEEEEEEEE!! I’M DONE. IF YOU NEED ME, I’LL BE WAITING BY THE PHONE TO HEAR THE GRAND NEWS!”

With Papyrus occupied Sans decides it’s time to do his own interview. He’s going to make sure this new human has no ill intentions towards his brother. He won’t make the same mistake again. He shortcuts back to the bakery and watches as the human finishes up work. She leaves the bakery holding a box filled with some of her treats. Sans follows along as she walks the streets heading towards the mountain. The area she’s set up shop in isn’t too far from where the majority of monsters have moved in which makes him wonder if she gets a lot of monster customers. She makes a turn and heads down a more run-down neighborhood where he knows a lot of homeless humans hang around. She walks into the local soup kitchen and Sans watches as she hands over the box of treats to someone he assumes works there.

Huh. Is she giving the old pastries to the humans? Waste not, want not is a good motto to live by and if this human isn’t just trashing her old pastries then she’s earned at least one good merit in his book. She leaves the building and heads back towards the mountain again.

… There’s that bad feeling again. Sans looks around, someone is walking around with bad intent and he can feel it crawling up his spine. Things haven’t quite been the same since his injury but at the core of his soul, Sans is still the judge and right now someone is hefting around a lot of LV. He’s lost sight of you while distracted so he tries to pick up the pace and find you. There seems to be some shuffling from the alley up ahead so he walks forward and turns the corner.

**********

Monday’s you like to clear out the uneaten pastries that won’t hold up and donate them to the local soup kitchen. They’ve always been grateful, and you know these goods will just end up in the garbage, it’s better to have them enjoyed than to have them wasted so before you head home you make your regular stop and hand them over.

As you’re leaving you get the sense someone is watching you so you speed up to make sure you get home before it gets too dark. As your passing by an alley however, someone reaches out and grabs your arm, yanking you into the dank abyss and clapping a hand over your mouth.

“Not a word missy and nobody gets hurt.” You panic, you’ve never been attacked before and your not carrying any sort of self defense items. This has always been a peaceful area why is this happening to you!?!

“I’ve been watching you; I saw that filthy beast you brought in today. You think we want those monsters running around OUR shops, eating OUR food, talking to OUR people? Those creatures should be dusted upon sight and if you think you can get away with bringing one on, hehe, think again.”

He drags you further into the alley and tosses you down against the wall. The impact knocks the breath from your lungs and before you have a chance to regain your composure and scream for help he’s on top of you, covering your mouth again.

“Now, not a peep or I’m going to make this even harder on you! I’m gonna teach you a lesson, and when I’m through with you if you even think to let a monster cross the threshold of a human run business again, I’ll be back.”

Tears are streaming down your face, your terrified and helpless under the weight of this man. He smells like cheap booze and garbage and the odor stings your nostrils as he leans in threatening you. Help me. Someone please help me, you beg internally. Your soul screaming out for assistance, wishing someone would stop this before it gets any worse.

“heya pal, uhh doesn’ look like the lady’s havin much fun wit’cha. why don’t you let her go ‘n be on your way.”

You’re shocked by the appearance of a massive skeleton monster behind the man. He’s not as quite tall as Papyrus but he’s still massive. With one giant red eyelight and a massive hole in his head this skeleton is intimidating but he appears to be trying to help you out. You plead for help with your eyes, praying he doesn’t give up and walk away.

The man growls from above you and spits at the ground below this new monsters feet. “Get out of here you scum, me and the missus were just havin a good time and we don’t need some monster stepping in, putting his nose where it don’t belong.”

“heh funny thing that. don’ exactly have a nose to stick anywhere” He points to nasal ridge “an it don’ look like she’s havin much fun here. why don’ you let up and see what she has to say”

The man gets even angrier at this and lifts you up slightly, then shoves you against the wall hitting your head and disorienting you. He stands up to face the monster with hate in his eyes.

“I’m so sick of you nasty monsters thinking you deserve to be up here. I’m gonna show you what it means to try and come into human territory, and..” He’s cut off with a sickening gurgle. The monster has picked him up by the throat and is crushing his windpipe. You’re dizzy but you can see the monsters eyelight has shrunk to the size of a pinprick, he’s got a tight smile and is staring at the man with disdain.

“ ‘m sorry i didn’ catch that last bit. you were gonna say something about showing me some human hospitality?” The man has tears in his eyes now and is grabbing at the skeletons hands around his throat, trying to choke in air. “why don’ i show you some monster hospitality, ‘n give you the same treatment you was givin that lady o’er there.”

The monster lifts the man up by the throat and tosses him hard against the brick wall. You hear a loud crack as his head hits the brick and he slides down, unmoving. He doesn’t appear to be dead but he’s definitely out for the count. You look up to the monster with tears in your eyes and sit up.

“Th-thank you. I-i-i don’t know what he would have done if you hadn’t shown up”

The monsters pupil has gone back to size and he’s staring at you without a word. His tight smile has dropped and now that you aren’t in danger you notice his outfit. He’s wearing a fluffy blue jacket covered in red stains (please be ketchup) with black basketball shorts and… are those fuzzy pink slippers?

He isn’t saying a word, just staring at you. You start to feel uncomfortable, did he really save you or did he just want you for himself? You know the monsters have changed since coming to the surface but you are in a dark alley, he did toss that man around like it was nothing, and he’s not saying a word!

“uh-uhm d-d-do you mind if I leave, I really need to get home now a-and I’m scared. Please can I go?” You beg, hoping this monster lets you leave without a fight. He’s still looking down at you with that same frown and single eyelight and its disconcerting.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye he’s gone. Your eyes go wide and you look around but he’s nowhere. It’s like he vanished into thin air! That’s it. You’re done! You stand up shakily and run out of the alley as fast as you can. You don’t stop running until you make it up the hill to your house and lock the door. You slide down to the floor in a crumpled mess and cry until you’ve worn yourself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you guys so much for the kudos and comments!! I was a nervous wreck trying to decide whether or not to actually go through with writing this story and waking up to support already has given me determination to continue! I appreciate it so much <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> slight trigger warnings for depressive thoughts and ptsd

You wake up to your dog, Daisy, licking your face. She seems concerned for you so you wrap her up in your arms and kiss the scruff of her neck.

“I’m okay now girl, thanks for checking on me.” She wags her broken tail in excitement at you and yips in joy that you’re responding after all her hard work. When she was born she wound up caught in the birth canal which resulted in her tail being bent at a 90 degree angle. Because she was “defective” she was abandoned by her previous owners and you rescued her from the shelter downtown. She’s been a loyal companion and the only company you have in your seclusion at the base of Mount Ebott.

You’ve never minded living alone, you’ve done it for so long that it’s never been an issue. The house you live in is your family home, it was built by your great grandfather back in the day as a gift for your great grandmother. He put so much love and work into crafting the perfect getaway for her that they ended up making it their permanent residence and passing it down through the generations. The exterior looks like a cottage straight out of some fairy tale with ivy climbing trellises along the walls and flowers planted all along the trim. You’re not so far from the city that walking home has ever been an issue, but it’s far enough away that the smells and sounds of urban living have never permeated your private retreat. Nothing can compare to the view you have every morning when the sun rises over the city, the house is perched on a hill at the base of the mountain so it sits slightly higher than the tallest building down below, and watching the sun come up with a cup of coffee, or occasionally hot chocolate, gives you peace of mind every day.

But none of that matters because before now you’ve never been scared of being alone. Suddenly your quiet retreat from the city feels like the setup for a horror movie that you want no part in. You lock all your doors and windows and proceed to call the police to report the attack and make sure the man who tried to assault you is caught before he can harm anyone else. You try and keep the monster who saved you out of it by telling the police you didn’t get a good look at your savior, you still aren’t sure if he had ill intentions in rescuing you but the least you can do is keep him from some sort of racial backlash for hurting a human who clearly had evil motives.

The police ask you to come in tomorrow for a statement and to identify your attacker, so you call Papyrus to notify him that you’re going to close up shop for an extra day, and he won’t be needed until Wednesday morning. He’s concerned for you but you tell him there’s nothing he needs to worry about, you just need more rest this week and he can take the time to get you some ideas for more monster friendly pastries.

After that ordeal all you want is to scrub your skin free of the filth you feel from that dank alleyway. You run yourself a hot bath and climb in but all the body wash in the world couldn’t scrub away the awful memories of your night. You wrap your arms around your knees and try to hold back the tears, you’ve wasted enough of them on that man and he doesn’t deserve anymore of your time.

But it hurts, your chest is tight and you’re shaking like a leaf. Why did this happen to you? What did you do to deserve such cruel treatment? What could you have done differently? If you hadn’t hired Papyrus would you have faced the same fate… is it your fault this happened to you… everything is closing in, the world is so small and people are so cruel and you shouldn’t have been so careless, you should have been watching, you should have….. No, no not tonight, this is not going to happen tonight.

So you try to focus your thoughts on new pastry ideas. You loved the bone sprinkles Papyrus brought and hope he has more to show you Wednesday. Maybe you can utilize them for sugar cookies as well, you could shape the cookies like skeletons and frost them with vanilla cream topped with the tiny bones. Do they come in other shapes? What other types of monster candy can you bring into the kitchen? How did that other skeleton monster disappear into thin air?

No. You’re not thinking about tonight, you’re taking a bath and planning out new menu items. But what about that huge hole in his head? Who would do something like that, and does it hurt him? Why didn’t he talk to you? Was he planning something but changed his mind?

NO! AGH! Okay bath time is over, you’re clearly too distracted. You let the water drain from the tub and change into your pjs for the evening. It’s already pretty late but you wouldn’t be able to sleep now if you tried so instead, you’re going to stress clean and listen to your favorite album at max volume. That should drown out your thoughts enough for you to wear yourself out. You can’t change the past but tomorrow is a new day and you intend to put this all behind you then.

**********

Waking up was more of a chore today than it normally is. You wound up cleaning every nook and cranny until the sun rose and you forced yourself to take a quick power nap, but it didn’t help with the bags under your eyes. When you made it to the police station, they seemed to be concerned for you but didn’t pester you thank goodness. You gave your statement and were told they found the man in the alley like you had notified in your call, and he was transported to the hospital to deal with his head injuries so because of this you couldn’t identify him through the lineup but they did show you a series of photos that allowed you to point him out. No word was said about your savior being a monster (you assume the assailant didn’t want to admit to being bested by the very creatures he spat upon) so it seems your mystery monster won’t face any backlash for the injuries he caused.

It had been awhile since you gave yourself two days off in a row so you were determined to make today a good one, starting with a walk through the botanical gardens. The gardens were planted by humans and monsters to commemorate “Surface Day”, the day monsters were freed from the underground. It had actually been planted the year following their release, after everything had settled down with the transition. It was a beautiful place that always left your soul feeling light and seeing all the hard work humans and monsters put into the gardens made you smile. There was even a small cave that boasted the infamous echo flowers from underground, and you always loved to stop by the flowers to whisper words of encouragement for whomever happens upon them next.

“Excuse me, would you like to buy a nice cream?” A blue bunny monster was looking at you from beside his cart. He looked friendly, even with the stubbed ear and scars, and you could never say no to an ice cream!

“Oh sure! Ice cream sounds delicious, what flavors do you have?”

“Actually, it’s Nice Cream, and we have 21 different flavors! But you don’t know what flavor you have until you’ve tried it.”

“Wait what? How does that work? What if you’re allergic to a flavor? Or don’t like that specific type?”

“No need to worry, the nice cream knows what you need.”

… The nice cream…. Knows what you need? Wow uhm okay, this is different but you can’t knock it until you try it.

“Aaalright I’ll give it a shot then.” The vendor hands you a wrapped nice cream and you open the package. You take a bite…..

….

“Oh my goodness that’s amazing!! It’s my favorite flavor, how does it do that?”

The bunny monster gives you a smile and says “Magic of course. They’ve got a special surprise when you’ve finished them as well. You’ll see.”

This is spectacular! You’ll have to speak to Papyrus about these nice creams and see what he knows. Maybe you could sell them during the hot months at the bakery. You finish up the nice cream and glance down at the stick, “You’re going to be alright, it’s not your fault” is written in clear letters. You look up at the bunny in shock and he gives you a sympathetic smile.

“Like I said, the nice cream knows what you need.”

***************

“SANS! SANS WHERE ARE YOU?” Papyrus shouts through the house, looking for his lazybones brother.

“I NEED YOU TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE STORE! DUE TO EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES that I was not given great detail about MY NEW EMPLOYER HAS SHUT DOWN THE BAKERY AND LEFT ME IN CHARGE OF ACQUIRING SOME MONSTER FRIENDLY INGREDIENTS FOR HER TO TRY!”

“ ‘m right here paps, no need to rattle my bones” Sans appears on the couch where he clearly had not been moments prior.

“BLAST IT SANS WE HAVE NO TIME FOR YOUR INFURIATING PUNS, WE MUST AQUIRE THE BEST INGREDIENTS SO I CAN SHOWCASE MY TALENTS AND BRING MY EMPLOYER GREAT PRIDE!”

“s’alright bro, think ‘m jus gonna stay home today. didn’t get much sleep last night so ‘m feeling bone tired.” he says with a wink.

“… DAMN YOU. DAMN YOU AND YOUR RIDICULOUS NONSENSE, WE BOTH KNOW YOU’RE COMING, YOU NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE OUTSIDE FOR STARS KNOWS WHAT REASON AND IF YOU DON’T COME WITH ME NOW YOU’RE GOING TO FOLLOW ME LATER SO LET’S GO.”

Sans visibly sweats at this remark, “heh whatcha mean i can’t leave ya alone outside? you were gone all day yesterday and i left you alone?”

Papyrus narrows his eyes at Sans, “YOU THINK I BELIEVE THAT FOR ONE SECOND? I’M NOT UPSET, BUT I’M ALSO NO BABYBONES. IT’S BEEN 5 YEARS SINCE WE CAME TO THE SURFACE AND I INTEND TO SPEND MANY MORE UP HERE, NOW GET OFF YOUR COCCYX AND LET’S BE OFF.”

Well apparently it’s impossible to get much past Papyrus, thankfully he didn’t ask about Sans following his new boss home last night and from the sounds of it he has no idea about the incident in the alley. Best to keep that to himself for now, knowing Paps he would be furious at Sans for not trusting his new human acquaintance, and for the damage he did to the human who attacked her. He’d call it a “trigger” or some nonsense and go off on a tangent about how Sans needs to be more careful, that he’s proud of him for stepping in but it could really throw back his blah blah blah. The way Sans sees it he gave a bad time to someone who needed to be put in their place.

But the look on her face when she saw him. Was she disgusted and scared of him or was it the human she was terrified of? The stutter… the shaking… the tears streaming down her face, he’s seen it plenty of times at the end of his axe and it made his non-existent stomach clench. He was done with that, he didn’t need to hunt anymore. He’s on the surface, he has food, Paps has food, they have a warm home and nobody has to hurt anyone.

So why did he enjoy hurting that human in the alley? Why did he go back to finish the job? He wanted nothing more than to give that dirty human exactly what he deserved, the judge in him screamed for retribution but when he arrived, an ambulance had beat him to it and they were *scoff* saving his life. Had he been there just a few minutes sooner...

“SANS, SANS are you okay?”

He didn't realize he had been tugging his empty socket while he was lost in thought. Papyrus knows it's a sign of stress, he should have been smarter, why did he let his thoughts run, why did he let that h u m a n g e t a w a y.

Papyrus grabs Sans' hands and pulls them away from his socket, "Sans it's alright, we are on the surface, we had breakfast and even lunch today, I'm safe, you're safe, the sun is out and the air is clear. You can relax, we need to leave the house for you to see that you can relax."

Sans' red eyelight fixes on Papyrus and he watches him for a moment, he's fine. He doesn't have to hunt anymore, that isn't his job. This is okay, he can get food at the store because he thinks they are running low on pasta and Paps is okay he's right here in his battle body smiling at him with his teeth fixed and hes HAPPY. Okay.... okay.

“a’right paps, ‘m comin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm not sure about an update schedule, I've been cranking them out pretty quickly so far but that's just because I've had the time and I feel like this beginning has come easy? I'm also not sure how long the fic will be yet so I'll be just as surprised as you when it ends ha!
> 
> I'd also like to thank all of you SO SO much for the reactions!! I've already gotten over 250 hits and 50 kudos. You're making tears come out of my face and I appreciate all of you ;-;


	5. Chapter 5

Time sure flies these days. Already a month has passed since you hired on Papyrus and he’s been an absolute cinnamon roll from day one.

His first day working for you he brought a bit of every monster ingredient he could get his hands on, “I JUST COULDN’T DECIDE WHAT TO BRING YOU, SO I BROUGHT IT ALL!” he had told you when you stared at the overflowing bags with disbelief. You weren’t quite sure what you would do with some of these items, but apparently monster food has no expiration so long as it is stored correctly, so you had plenty of time to figure it out!

And figure it out you did, the first week on the job you showed Papyrus the ins and outs of your business, introduced him to some of your regulars, (lost a few as well but you refuse to entertain racism in your establishment and if they can’t respect your wishes so be it) and taught him some of the recipes you’re currently selling. You like to mix up the menu for the changing seasons, but if there’s an item that a customer loves from a previous menu they can special order those for pickup the following day.

He really catches on quickly so the basics were no problem for him, and that Monday you two worked together and came up with some great items that utilized the monster food. They wouldn’t all come out on the menu at once, but you had some great ideas for macarons filled with different magic crème fillings, cookies with magic candies, and you personally can’t wait to roll out the gingerbread monsters for Gyftmas.

With the introduction of magic items on the menu, came your first monster customers. One of the first was a flame elemental that went by the name of Grillby. He was apparently an old friend of the family and was so proud of Papyrus for all he had accomplished on the surface. It was touching to see the tears in Papyrus’ eye sockets at the praise, you didn’t know how the flame elemental came to know him, or what the story was, but you could tell that the bonds ran deep and you were overjoyed to serve him the pastries you and Papyrus had created. When he left though, Papyrus seemed to deflate, which is a look you’ve never seen on the skeleton before.

“He came because he mourns for Muffet. They were comrades in the underground, both tried so hard to keep up business after the famine. Muffet had a bakery as well down there…. The pastries she sold were made by spiders, for spiders….. *sniffle* and of spiders… even before the CORE shut down. She used to be very greedy and overcharged her customers but…. Well everyone tried to help out down there, and eventually she really did give her all, one final time, to feed Grillby’s daughter when her flames started to die down.” He turned to look at you with a sad smile, “She gave hope to Grillby, and all of us, by proving even a greedy monster has the potential to change, and in the world we were living in, that was a precious gift.”

You remember what Papyrus had said about Muffet, he didn’t go into more detail after that and quickly returned to his upbeat self, but you took a moment to consider his words. You shudder to think of the implications, but you give a silent acknowledgment to this Muffet for her bravery and kindness towards other monsters.

After Grillby, you began seeing more and more monster customers coming in. Business has been incredibly swamped lately and you’ve considered shutting the place down twice a week, lest you drive yourself to exhaustion! The massive workload doesn’t seem to be an issue for Papyrus though, he appears to have a boundless well of energy you wished you could tap into. Reminding yourself its only been a few weeks keeps you from making any decisions for closing though, the magic ingredients are new so this increase in business could slow down when the novelty wears off.

“So Papyrus, I haven’t actually had a moment to ask you how you’ve liked working here so far! And you’ve been here for about a month now so it seems like a good time to check in for a review.” It’s something you’ve done with all of your employees, you want to make sure you can catch any issues quickly to make sure everyone has a positive work environment. Typically you try and catch them a couple of weeks in but with the massive success, this is the first time you’ve seen a lull in business long enough for a chat.

“OH IT HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE HONOR WORKING WITH YOU MISS Y/N! I’M SO PROUD OF THE RECIPES WE’VE MANAGED TO PRODUCE AND I’VE MADE SURE TO TELL EVERYONE I MEET OF THE WONDERFUL ESTABLISHMENT THAT IS THE GREAT ESCAKE, Regardless of how personally offended I am of the name.”

You learned pretty quickly of Papyrus’ supposed hatred of all things punny and try not to giggle at his mockery of your chosen business name. Your father had always loved puns and while you weren’t quick enough on the draw to lash them out, you always enjoyed hearing them. The two of you had come up with the name long before you were old enough to actually own a business, and you knew once you did that it could only ever be called The Great EsCake.

“Well that explains why we’ve had so much business lately! I’ve never had such brilliant advertising before, thanks Papyrus.” You beam up at him. You’ve always had a steady stream of customers so finances had always been fine, but if Papyrus keeps bringing in new customers like this you may have to consider some options to handle the increase in orders!

“WHY THINK NOTHING OF IT. MY SKILLS WOULD BE WASTED IF WE CONTINUED WITH THE SMALL CLIENT BASE YOU HAD BEFORE I CAME ALONG. MY GREATNESS HAS INDEED PROMPTED A TIDAL WAVE OF HUNGRY CITIZENS TO BASK IN THE DELICIOUS PASTRIES WE CREATE! NYEHEHEHEE.” There goes that cape again. You’ve chalked it up to magic but you still find yourself searching for a fan or an open window or some logical explanation for the dramatic effects Papyrus produces.

You also choose to ignore the ‘small client base’ remark, he would never intentionally insult you and he knows you were well off before. But all of that extra energy means he tends to go above and beyond the call of duty, leaving you huffing for air trying to keep up. You would never impede on his work, he’s so proud of it and you couldn’t stand to disappoint him. After all, who’s complaining about an INCREASE in business?

“Well Papyrus I truly appreciate the help you’ve been. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to hire you, and you’re welcome to stay as long as you wish. I haven’t been able to keep assistants long, most have moved on to bigger and better things and I’m so proud of them for reaching for their goals. I’d never want to hold someone back from their own dreams, but this place is MY dream and I like it just the way it is. I’d understand if after you’ve gotten some experience under your belt you wanted to pursue more lavish options, after all, I don’t think my little bakery here could hold a candle to some of the chains out there.”

“WHY THAT’S NONSENSE IF YOU DON’T MIND ME SAYING. THE FACT THAT YOUR BAKERY IS UNIQUE GIVES IT A CHARM THOSE CHAINS CAN’T MATCH. YOU PUT LOVE INTO EACH PASTRY, AND IT SHOWS. YOU GIVE A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO EACH CUSTOMER THAT IS UNMATCHED ANYWHERE ELSE AND I THINK THIS IS RIGHT WHERE I BELONG, AFTER ALL, YOU’VE ALLOWED ME TO BRING IN MY OWN RECIPES AND TREAT ME AS AN EQUAL. IF I WERE TO MOVE ON, I DON’T THINK I’D HAVE THE CREATIVE FREEDOM YOU GIVE ME WITHOUT OPENING MY OWN SHOP, AND I’D NEVER WANT TO COMPETE WITH MY SECOND FAVORITE HUMAN!”

Second.. favorite.. human? You’re one of his favorite humans? He’s only known you for a month how could you already be among his favorites?? And second to boot! You know it’s a great honor, but it’s a scary thought having someone think so highly of you. It’s been so long…

“Uhm.. Well uh.. Thank you, Papyrus, that’s very sweet of you. It does make me happy to know that you feel that way about my little shop here… The feelings you’ve described are exactly what I always hoped this place would become.” You give him an awkward smile. You still don’t know how to feel about his personal praise but hearing all of the wonderful things he has to say about your bakery warms your heart.

************

After you’ve locked up shop for the day and bid Papyrus farewell, you decide to take another trip to the botanical gardens. Lately they seem to be your favorite place to escape, and the only place you can purchase those delicious nice creams! You spoke with the vendor, whose name you discovered was Blu, and it turns out he’s the exclusive provider of nice cream. You were a bit disappointed you wouldn’t be able to sell the fun treats yourself, but you would never try and take someone else’s business! So you’ve settled for being a repeat customer when you need to take a break in the floral scents of the gardens.

You take your nice cream to the fountain at the center of the gardens, it’s a dedication to the former king, Asgore, and it’s a beautiful piece. A large trident sticks out of the center of the fountain, and water spurts out the ends of each tip. Surrounding the fountain are hundreds of bright golden flowers that always seem to angle towards the trident fountain, as if looking up to the former king. You aren’t sure if this is the result of magic or not, but it’s a lovely tribute from a mourning community of monsters. You’ve seen a female goat monster frequent the fountain, and you get the sense she knew this Asgore on a personal level. People/monster watching is one of your favorite past-times in the gardens, but even you know this particular monster could use privacy while she clearly mourns a lost loved-one.

Walking further into the gardens reveals more unique plants, some new species that bloomed when the barrier broke. From what you heard, the barrier had been acting as a sort of conduit for the magic and when it was broken, magic had seeped back into the earth and created new life. With the magic running through the very soil, it was easier for the monsters to channel and it’s helped with healing their souls and minds. The magic may have created new plant life and even enabled monsters to start producing magic foods, but magic didn’t return to the human race. You had heard that centuries ago it was human mages that built the barrier trapping monsters below ground, and can only assume the lack of magic in humans now is the punishment they received for such a horrendous act.

You take a seat on a bench surrounded by tall hedges overlooking a pond. There’s a mother duck teaching her babies to swim, frogs hopping from lily pads, and a red eye watching you in the reflection.

……

Wait what? You look up and see the skeleton that saved you! He’s sitting on a bench across the pond looking at you. It’s strange really, how animated skeleton monsters are. You’ve noticed it in Papyrus since he started working with you, he may be made of bone but his skull seems to be at least somewhat malleable. This skeleton doesn’t resemble Papyrus much at all, his skull is rounder and where Papyrus has a mouth closer resembling a human jaw, this skeletons mouth appears to have layers of bone that act as lips? Enough that the way he’s looking at you currently, you can’t see his teeth.

You’ve made eye contact with him, but he doesn’t make a move to acknowledge you. He’s just sitting, watching, with a curious look on his face. It occurs to you that you still aren’t sure whether he had good intentions when he rescued you, it’s probably wrong of you to be afraid of someone who went out of their way to help you, but he didn’t say a word! And then he just vanished! Which in and of itself is a mystery that has haunted you since the encounter, and you pray that meeting him here is just a coincidence. You don’t want to be rude though, so you decide to give him a smile and a wave, it’s too late to pretend you don’t see him and he hasn’t REALLY done anything to make it seem like he has bad intentions.

This reaction however seems to startle him out of some trance. His mouth opens slightly and his brow bones furrow at you as if you just did the most ridiculous thing imaginable. He stands up from the bench and you think he’s going to walk over, but after he passes behind a tree he just disappears! He doesn’t seem to be the most social skeleton and you consider asking Papyrus if he knows who this mystery monster is, but it feels presumptuous to assume that just because they are both skeleton monsters, they know each other. That would be like assuming you know every human that resembles you, right?

Regardless, you think it’s time to call it a day. Seeing that skeleton has brought back some unpleasant thoughts that you’re finally moving past and you’d rather like to keep today a pleasant one. Maybe you’ll do something special for dinner tonight, it’s been awhile since you’ve done anything more ambitious than heating frozen meals….

********

Paps has really been on his case lately about ‘getting a life’ and it’s starting to grate on Sans’ nerves. He has a life! Protecting Papyrus is his life, it’s all he’s ever known, what else is he supposed to do when everything that isn’t him can be considered a threat?

But he’s trying. If Paps wants space that’s fine, he won’t follow AS closely and he won’t listen in on EVERY conversation. He knows how to be a shadow, it’s just not as easy to stay hidden when his brother can sense the chaotic magic radiating off of him. Papyrus has always been more perceptive than he lets on and has been patient with Sans’ lurking since coming to the surface, but apparently even the most patient monster has a limit.

“ENOUGH SANS. ONE DAY, I ASK FOR ONE DAY WITHOUT YOU BREATHING DOWN MY SPINE. YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF!! GO TO GRILLBY’S, HE STOPPED IN THE BAKERY THE OTHER DAY AND I’M SURE HE WOULD APPRECIATE A VISIT FROM YOU. IT’S BEEN TOO LONG SINCE YOU’VE LEFT THE HOUSE TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN FOLLOW ME.”

“paps c’mon, i can’t just show up to grillby’s now. i’ve got no- _body_ to go with?”

Papyrus levels Sans with a withering glare, “NONETHELESS! YOU NEED TO GET OFF YOUR LAZY COCCYX AND GET A HOBBY. OR BETTER YET, A JOB! YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME WORRYING ABOUT ME WHEN YOU NEED TO SPEND A MOMENT TO WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF! WE’VE MADE IT TO THE SURFACE, YOU CAN’T SPEND THE REST OF YOUR EXISTENCE EATING CHISPS IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION”

“sounds like a pretty good existence to me” Sans mumbles under his breath. He sinks further into the couch, closing his eye sockets. “ ‘m doin jus fine here paps, but i get it, i won’ follow you around today.”

Papyrus rolls his eyelights, “I'M SURE YOU WON’T SANS, BUT PLEASE FOR MY SAKE WILL YOU AT LEAST TRY TO DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE? AND IF NOT PRODUCTIVE AT LEAST… OUTSIDE?”

Sans sighs deeply, “if it’s what you really want then fine paps, i’ll take a walk’r somethin and get some ‘fresh air’.”

“THAT’S ALL I ASK.” Papyrus visibly relaxes, “I’M OFF TO WORK THEN BROTHER, AGAIN, DON’T FOLLOW ME!”

That’s how he wound up here, at the botanical gardens walking around trying to kill time. He hasn’t actually come out to these gardens since Papyrus dragged him to the opening ceremony for Surface Day. They haven’t changed much in the few years they’ve been here, and even he has to admit all of the floral scents do have a relaxing effect on him. The echo flowers are his favorite part, the cave they were planted in has low lighting and soft dirt, perfect for napping, and with only one entrance he’s aware of anyone that might try something stupid.

He’s met with disappointment when he gets to the cave though, it seems the local school has taken a field trip and the teachers can’t get the kids to leave the talking flowers alone so he’s forced to venture elsewhere. That’s when he sees her, across the pond is the human Papyrus has started working for, sitting on a bench eating nice cream and watching the waters.

This isn’t the first time he’s seen her since the attack, no he’s ~~followed~~ watched her just as carefully as he’s watched Papyrus. It’s become clear she has no ill intentions for his brother so he’s become a bit less wary of her, but something still scratches at the back of his skull, telling him not to trust a dirty human with g o o d i n t e n t i o n s. She could easily be luring them into a false sense of security, only to toy with them for her own amusement. Maybe she’s running a long con, there has to be something she wants, after all, humans are greedy, self-serving parasites and it’s only a matter of time before she turns on him just like…. Just like… just like who?

When did he sit down? And did the human notice him? Shit she’s smiling at him and she just waved, what game is she playing at? Whatever, he’s not going to be a pawn in another humans twisted sense of fun. When was he a pawn? Damn his head is killing him. That’s it, he’s had enough of the great outdoors, he’s going home.

Sans gets up and heads behind a tree to shortcut back to his couch. yea, he thinks, give her a good shock when he vanishes again and leave her guessing. Make her realize he can be anywhere, at any time, and let HER wonder what game HE’S playing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I'm just pumping out these chapters left and right, I think this is the last one I'll get in this week so I can start building up a buffer and maybe making a release schedule. The next one won't take too long because I'm an eager beaver and if I've got it, why not release it right? Ugh 
> 
> Nonetheless I hope you've enjoyed :) Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I fully intended to wait before posting the next chapters. but well, you can see how well that turned out ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> So have this chapter! Trigger warnings at the end for a depressive moment

“Papyrus, are you alright? You’ve rolled that dough out so thin I can see through it?”

Papyrus has been unusually quiet today; you can tell something is bothering him but you weren’t quite sure if it was your place to ask. You know he considers you his second favorite human, but it’s hard to find the line between professional and personal relationship. So as long as it wasn’t affecting his work performance, you thought it best to mind your own business. You can see now that whatever is bothering him is definitely having an impact on his work, and it’s so out of character for him that you can’t hold back the question.

He sighs deeply, “I’D LIKE TO THINK OF MYSELF AS A RATHER POSITIVE MONSTER MISS Y/N, SO EVEN IN THE WORST OF SITUATIONS I FIND MYSELF MAKING THE BEST OF IT. WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS AND ALL THAT, BUT I’M A LITTLE CONCERNED FOR MY BROTHER.”

Ah the infamous brother, Papyrus has mentioned him a few times now with no great detail, just snippets about how incredibly lazy and paranoid he can be. You still wonder if the monster who saved you could be this same brother, but you don’t want to let Papyrus know you were attacked (the poor bean would fret over you too much, you’re sure) and you still aren’t sure if it’s presumptuous to assume they were related, just because they’re both skeletons. You figured a gaping hole in his head would come up eventually if Papyrus spoke about him more, so you’re sure to find out one way or another.

“Do you want to talk about it?” There, give him the option. If he doesn’t want to share he doesn’t have to, and if he does… well it wouldn’t hurt to know more about your employee, right?

“YES, PLEASE. SANS HAS BEEN A LITTLE MORE LETHARGIC THAN USUAL, AND LATELY I CAN’T HELP BUT FEEL IT’S MY FAULT. SEE, HE’S ALWAYS BEEN VERY CONCERNED FOR MY WELL BEING, HE DID RAISE ME AS A BABYBONES AFTER ALL, AND SINCE COMING TO THE SURFACE THAT CONCERN HAS WELL… MULTIPLIED. I HAD FINALLY HAD ENOUGH OF HIM FOLLOWING ME EVERYTIME I LEFT THE HOUSE although in retrospect I do appreciate the fact he’d forgo his lazy ways momentarily, NONETHELESS IT WAS SUFFOCATING. SO I TOLD HIM HE NEEDED TO GET A HOBBY, OR A JOB, OR A LIFE AT ALL AND FOR GOODNESS SAKES STOP. FOLLOWING. ME!”

Well you can certainly see how having someone shadow your every movement could be suffocating, it’s sweet to think his brother is so concerned that he would go to those extremes but you agree with Papyrus, that seems a little excessive.

“EVER SINCE THEN, HE SEEMS RATHER… DOWN IN THE DUMPS. AND NOT EVEN THE FUN DUMPS, WITH THE NIFTY GADJETS! THE SAD DUMPS WITH THE EMPTY BAGS OF CHISPS AND KETCHUP BOTTLES AND SOCKS. SOCKS EEEVVERRRYYWHHEERREE!!” Papyrus stomps his foot in frustration and makes you jump slightly. He may be a cinnamon roll, but he’s a giant cinnamon roll!! And towering several feet over you he could certainly stomp you like a bug if he felt so inclined.

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO HELP HIM IF HE WON’T TELL ME WHAT’S WRONG! HE TRIES TO DISTRACT ME WITH HIS INFURIATING PUNS AND THEN PRETENDS TO FALL ASLEEP LIKE I DON’T KNOW ALL OF HIS TRICKS.” Puns you say? Well, well, well, you may get along with this brother yet, but it certainly doesn’t sound like something your mystery monster would do. Granted you only had the two encounters, one of which you were rather disoriented and terrified during, and you still haven’t _actually_ spoken to him directly.

“I JUST HOPE THAT ONE DAY, HE CAN TRULY MOVE PAST OUR… WELL PAST, AND START TO GET THE PIECES OF HIS OLD SELF BACK. HE SCARES ME WHEN HE GETS LIKE THIS…. I’m afraid he’s going to fall down and leave me all alone….” Oh. Oh no, this isn’t good. Mayday, Mayday!!! The cinnamon roll is about to cry!!!

“Oh Papyrus!!! Hold on, I’m locking up. We can close early for one day, you’re clearly in no position to be here and I’m in no position to give you advice on how to handle your brother but there is one thing I can do!” Yes, if it helped you then surely it can help Papyrus. You were never given the chance to have these moments with your brother, so you aren’t sure what advice you could possibly give Papyrus, but you do know _something_ that knows exactly what he needs to hear.

So you take him to the botanical gardens,

“When I’m having a bad day, it always helps me to come here. The flowers always relax me, it’s quiet, and there’s a wonderful cart set up near the echo cave that has something that may be able to cheer you up.”

Papyrus looks down at you with a soft smile. “THANK YOU, I THINK THIS DISTRACTION IS JUST WHAT I NEEDED. PERHAPS I’VE BEEN A BIT STRETCHED THIN LATELY BETWEEN WORK, SANS, AND OUR NEW NEIGHBORS. A MOMENT TO REST MY BONES COULD DO ME SOME GOOD.”

“What’s going on with your neighbors?” You ask. You can agree that work has been a bit hectic lately and from the short breakdown he just had over his brother it sounds like he has a lot on his plate, but now there’s a neighbor causing him stress as well? What could that be about.

“AH, I UHM, SORRY I DIDN’T REALIZE I SAID THAT OUT LOUD. THE NEIGHBORS ARE FINE, JUST NEW AND MOVING TO A NEW PLACE IS ALWAYS STRESSFUL AND OH! BLU! HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO SEE YOU AGAIN, IT HAS BEEN FAR TOO LONG!” Hmmmm deflecting the question, that’s alright, if he doesn’t want to talk about it then it’s clearly none of your business. You’re here to make sure your employee can clear his head so he can focus at work again, not pry into his personal life.

The nice cream vendor stands up tall when he hears Papyrus, “Papyrus!! How are you? I haven’t seen you since this place opened up! Come, have a nice cream, on the house! I finally got the ol’ cart going again after all that time, and these gardens are a prime spot for business. Hello again Y/n, can’t say it’s been awhile since I last saw you” He says with a wink, “Since you’ve brought my dear friend Papyrus with you today, it’s on the house for you as well. I’ve been meaning to start up a punch card special anyways, think of this as your first freebie for all of your business.”

“Thank you so much Blu, it’s been a long day at work and we’re both feeling pretty down. I knew the best place we could be is here for some nice cream!” You smile at the kind bunny. You didn’t want to give away Papyrus’ problems, so this seems like a good excuse to cut work early for a treat.

He hands you both a nice cream and waves you off, “It’s no trouble y/n, you two enjoy your day and Papyrus, we’ll have to catch up sometime! Have a great day you two.”

With that you take your nice creams and start walking through the gardens to find a nice place to relax. You opt for the bench by the pond you sat at last time, and you both sit in silence while you eat your nice cream. It’s a beautiful day out really, the clouds above are big and puffy, perfect for finding shapes in if you had an imagination. The bees are buzzing, and the duck family is happily quacking at the progress the baby ducks have made swimming.

You turn to look at Papyrus, he seems to have calmed down significantly much to your relief. It’s been so long since you’ve had to speak with someone outside of the superficial day-to-day conversations you typically engage in, you really aren’t sure how to handle comforting someone else anymore. But this seems to be a step in the right direction.

“Thank you, y/n” You’re a little startled at his low tone, he does seem to have reigned in the tears but obviously a quiet walk and some nice cream can’t fix every problem. ~~Unfortunately~~

“It’s no problem Papyrus, you may have guessed I’m not great at the whole… comfort thing, but I hope this has at least helped a fraction.” You scratch the back of your head nervously, Stars, please let this be enough.

“It has. My concern for my brother hasn’t lessened, but this place,” he gestures around, “it’s made for moments like this. You may not know it but monster magic is, in short, an extension of our souls. This means when we pour our magic into creating something such as this nice cream or these gardens, we are putting the hope, kindness, and love that we are made of, into our creations. It radiates throughout this garden because it was a joint effort between monsters and humans, a way of making amends for all of the pain our ancestors thrust upon us, and a bridge to a new beginning. I can feel that love in my soul, and it eases the pain. So thank you for bringing me here.”

Wow, you knew these gardens were special, but not _that_ special. It explains how this place can ease the grip on your chest when you come here on the bad days, and the sense of peace you get when eating monster food. You smile gently, this was the right choice… for both of you.

Papyrus looks down at his nice cream stick and smiles, “YES, THANK YOU INDEED! I’M FEELING MUCH BETTER NOW AND THOUGH MY BROTHER MAY BE A CAUSE FOR CONCERN, I KNOW THINGS WILL TURN OUT JUST AS THEY SHOULD NYEHEHE!”

You’re glad to see him back to himself, you smile and take a peek at what message he was given.

‘We could all use a little more love.’

******

True to his word, Sans kept himself from following Papyrus. Deep down he knows that his brother can handle himself, but if he was ever attacked, Sans knows he wouldn’t fight back. He would spit out compliments and tell his attacker some nonsense like ‘I believe in you’… I believe… in you… in who? Who do you believe in Paps? ….. No…. They’re lying! Can’t you see the dust on their hands? It’s right there! Open your eyes, move! MOVE!! M O V E ---------

_CRACK_. Shit, he was tugging on his eyesocket again. He stands up and heads to the bathroom to assess the damage. Not too bad, just a hairline fracture, easily fixed with a monster candy. But that hole in his head….. His eyelight fixes on the injury left by…. Undyne? Yea it was her, that’s why Paps hasn’t spoken to her in years. Hell, if she’s even alive still. He can’t remember if she came out with the rest of them and he doesn’t care. She did this to him and now he’s a broken, useless pile of good-for-nothing bones.

He stops himself before he tugs on the socket again, it’s not bad now but if he keeps at it then monster candy won’t help. Then again, all the monster candy in the world isn’t going to fix that massive hole in his skull so what’s the point? He’s gonna wind up alone in the end anyways so who is he trying to impress. All he’s doing is dragging Paps down and if he was just gone then……

No, Paps needs him right now. One day Papyrus is going to move on, maybe fall in love. With those braces fixing his teeth he’s gonna be a charmer again in no time and Sans…. Well Sans will just be his broken brother, extra baggage weighing him down. He’ll need to move out so Papyrus can truly be happy with his new chosen family and he can’t keep holding him back.

Sans sighs, he knows what Paps would say about this line of thinking and he’s got to convince himself that it’s not true. His brother loves him, and yea he may get a family one day and leave Sans behind but that’s okay. Knowing he’s safe and happy is all Sans ever wanted and maybe once Paps is gone it will be okay to just, give up. Things would be so much easier if he could just lay down after all. Maybe somewhere nice like the echo cave, that way even when he dusts Papyrus could maybe pay him a visit?

Monster candy. He needs to stop this train of thought now before he does something stupid, Papyrus isn’t going anywhere yet so for now he needs to hide the crack and pretend everything’s alright, for Paps’ sake.

Maybe he should go see Grillby, it has been a while. He had been ashamed for so long he’s avoided going to the new bar Grillby managed to get up here on the surface. Papyrus said that he had been by the bakery recently, maybe he’s forgiven Sans for what he did? Or maybe he still hates him, and doesn’t want to be anywhere near the sick, twisted B U T C H E R.

Why today? Why is today such a bad day?? Maybe it’s got something to do with not following his brother. Normally he’d be perched on the rooftops across from the bakery, keeping an eyesocket on the customers coming in and out, making sure none of them were going to try anything funny. But today he’s left to wallow in his misery at home alone and being left to his thoughts hasn’t worked out well for him since the incident.

Papyrus is right, he should get a hobby or maybe a job. Something to get him out of the house and away from his thoughts. He’s not going to disappoint his brother again, he’s going to be a better monster for as long as he can and when Paps is ready to leave the nest, then he can finally get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing reader in this chapter I apparently channeled my inner Neroli and realized that my y/n had a moment where she resembled the Sans from ‘A Puzzle Just for me’ (which is an amazing fic written by Neroli and you should give it a read!)  
> Also, I hope that I’m portraying Sans how I’m attempting to. He’s meant to have a sort of chaotic train of thought when he starts spiraling out of control, often jumping from topic to topic and forgetting what it was he had been about to remember. Clearly this is going to turn out a slower burn than I anticipated, and I needed some time with the sweet skeley before moving onto the romance…. But isn’t befriending Papyrus the quickest way to a certain someone’s good graces? ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I wasn't going to release this so soon but I was so excited this story has already gotten over 100 kudos!! That's incredible! As a thank you, I present to you chapter 7 :)
> 
> edited 1/18/2020

Stars above, what have you done to yourself. Ten years, it’s been ten years since you’ve been on your own and you’ve been fine. You’re pleasant enough, everyone deserves a little kindness so it’s never been in your nature to completely shut the world out. After all, if you weren’t at least somewhat decent company then you might not get any business! But you’ve been keeping everyone at arm’s length for so long that now you feel like that wall you so carefully built, suddenly doesn’t feel quite as stable. There’s a papyrus-shaped chip in the wall that you aren’t sure what to do about.

The trip to the botanical gardens had improved his mood of course, that was your intention! But it also gave him the opportunity to get personal with you. And that’s fine, you’ll listen to someone else speak about whatever is weighing them down. You’re a great listener, you always have been but when it comes to sharing about yourself? Well that’s where the wall comes in, it’s time to pull back the drawbridge once they start questioning what’s on the other side.

Which is why when Papyrus starts weaseling personal information about you such as where you live, your favorite foods, how you opened the bakery, and even Daisy, you’re suddenly blind-sided by the amount you’ve revealed. It’s as if he’s pulled some ninja mind-tricks that busted the hinges on your drawbridge and allowed him a peek inside the wall. It’s jarring to say the least, he’s so sweet that you don’t realize what he’s done until the words have already left your mouth. At this rate you’re going to walk away with a…. _*gulp*_ friend.

The word almost feels foreign, friend. Friends? Can you be friends with this giant cinnamon roll? Which is what he is, a cinnamon roll, and how perfectly it fits with your little bakery…. Oh goodness, even your inner monologue is falling for his friendship traps!! Would it be so bad having him as a friend though? He’s stated he doesn’t want to leave the bakery, which could change eventually if he’s given a better offer, but for now it’s nice knowing he’s happy staying right where he is. The two of you do get along incredibly well, it’s hard not to with the constant stream of optimism he spouts every day. It’s almost refreshing having that positive energy nearby, his smile is always contagious and he’s just so genuinely good that you feel denying a friendship with him would be the equivalent of kicking a three-legged puppy into a pool of piranhas.

But are you ready to take that step? You’re downright terrified if you’re being honest, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Things have changed since the attack in the alley, and lately you find yourself just a little bit wary of being alone. Perhaps having someone you could call in an emergency wouldn’t be too bad and it would certainly give you a small piece of mind knowing that if anything were to happen to you, there would be at least one person who would wonder where you had gone.

Speaking of wondering where someone had gone, you’re walking up to the bakery for the morning and you notice Papyrus isn’t standing outside like usual. Normally he’s posted by the front door waiting for you to arrive but today he’s nowhere to be found. Maybe he’s overslept or gotten sick. Do monsters get sick? Did he leave a voicemail for you, letting you know he won’t be here? You walk in and check the machine but there’s no messages left for you, so you decide to give a call to him, just to check in.

Dialing…

…

Nobody picked up.

No need to be concerned… yet. There are a thousand reasons why he might not be answering, surely he will walk through that door any minute and you’ll have worried yourself over nothing. This is exactly the reason you’ve avoided personal relationships, the constant fretting over everyone’s well-being is too overwhelming and you don’t want to do this again. You’ll go ahead and set up shop as usual and wait for Papyrus to show up. He’ll be here any minute now and you’ll laugh over the unnecessary panic you’ve thrown yourself in.

15 minutes late, you’ve kept your eye on the front door while you spoon out small balls of dough for cookies.

Half an hour late now…. you haven’t jumped every time the phone rang, running to check if he’s calling in, only to be disappointed. Not at all.

An entire hour late and you’ve had enough. You’re not getting anything productive done by staring at the door and at this point have decided you need to go check on him. This is completely out of character for Papyrus and you just know something has happened, you can chastise yourself all you want for overthinking this, AFTER you’re sure he’s not hurt. So you pull out his application from your files and scan it for an address. You know the area, it’s not too far off from the soup kitchen where you drop off the old pastries, so you lock up shop and head out.

*****

Sans and Papyrus had grown up knowing that home was a relative term, you aren’t always guaranteed a roof over your head, but they knew as long as they had each other, they had home. The underground hadn’t always been so harsh, before the famine it had even been somewhat pleasant. Sans had been responsible for raising Papyrus and for a decent portion of their childhood they were forced to live on the streets of New Home, begging and stealing to survive. That had all changed when Grillby found them and took pity on the poor skeletons, taking them back to Snowdin and giving them a shot at a better life.

Thanks to the kindness Grillby granted the boys, they were able to establish themselves and lived pretty well until disaster struck the underground, forcing all of the monsters to do unspeakable acts just to survive. The skeleton brothers had finally gotten a roof over their heads, but the hell surrounding them made the place feel far from what a home should feel like. They had hoped that coming to the surface would give them the opportunity to finally get the home they had been searching for, and while the apartment they were living in wasn’t the greatest on the block, it was their best attempt at establishing that sought out feeling. So, when new neighbors moved in Sans made sure to keep an eye socket out for trouble. 

The neighborhood Sans and Papyrus currently lived in wasn’t strictly monster residences, that would violate the Fair Housing Acts preventing discrimination based on race, religion, or familial status, so there had always been humans around, but not like this. The area was designed for lower income families so most of the humans that moved in, were moving in out of desperation. Which is fine, if they minded their business then Sans minded his, that is, until Drake and Nick (or as Sans preferred to think of them, Big Dick and Little Dick) moved in. 

The day they moved in, Papyrus (being Papyrus) decided to welcome them to the apartment complex with a gift. He had made an intricate strawberry tart that he dusted with a coating of magic sugar, to give the appearance that the tart was glowing. When he tried to present the tart to the new neighbors however…

~~~

Papyrus knocked on the door, tart in hand, smile on skull, and frilly pink apron still tied around his waist. He had been so excited to present his tart to the neighbors that he had forgotten to remove it. When the door opened two men came into view, one with dark hair and a visible scar running along his jawline, the second had sandy-brown hair and appeared to be very well fed.

“HELLO NEIGHBORS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM HERE TO WELCOME YOU TO YOUR NEW HOME! I’VE BAKED YOU A DELECTABLE STRAWBERRY TART AS A HOUSE-WARMING GIFT AND I HOPE YOU’LL ACCEPT!”

The men didn’t respond immediately, although the sandy haired one appeared to drool a bit over the presented tart. He had begun to open his mouth to reply when the dark haired one interrupted, “No. I think we’ll pass on whatever poison you put in that shit, look at it! It’s fucking glowing, is that thing radioactive?” He scoffed.

“OF COURSE NOT!” Papyrus insisted, “I ONLY USE THE BEST INGREDIENTS, PERFECTLY SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION! ALTHOUGH, IF YOU’D PREFER, I COULD MAKE ANOTHER WITHOUT THE MAGIC INGREDIENTS THAT GIVE IT A NATURAL RADIANCE?”

“Come on Drake, it looks _really_ good. Maybe we can just—” The dark haired one, Drake, cut off the other with a glare.

“I’m not taking some fucking pie from a damn skeleton Nick, I mean just look at him!” He gestured up and down Papyrus’ frame, “He’s clearly some kind of pansy ass death omen, and I’m not about to take _that_ bait. He’s probably trying to off us!”

"It's a tart, not a pie." Nick mumbles under his breath, only to receive another glare from Drake.

Papyrus tried not to show how disappointed he was, but his good mood was withering away with every insult the man threw at him. He was just trying to be kind, but it appears his gesture was in vain.

“I’M TERRIBLY SORRY IF I’VE OFFENDED YOU SIR, I’LL TAKE MY LEAVE NOW. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, AND WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.” He managed to say with as much optimism as possible.

“Good fucking riddance _monster._ ” 

~~~

Ever since that day, it seemed as if Drake (and to a smaller extent Nick) had made it his life goal to torment Sans and Papyrus. It started out as harsh little pranks— a trip wire or party poppers taped outside their front door, dye in their laundry— but soon escalated to more hateful crimes. They began spreading graffiti across the boys’ door, slandering Papyrus when he’d leave the apartment, ripping up their mailbox and tossing it in the river. Sans wanted retribution so bad his bones would shake, but Papyrus insisted he let it go.

“THEY ARE OUR NEIGHBORS SANS, AND WHILE THEIR ACTIONS MAY BE HURTFUL, WE DO STILL HAVE TO LIVE HERE. ANY RETALIATION WE COMMIT COULD BE MISCONSTRUED BY OTHERS TO MAKE US OUT AS THE CRIMINALS AND I WILL NOT HAVE YOU TARNISHING MY REPUTATION.”

So he held back his words and resigned himself to threatening glares from across the hall. But these filthy humans couldn’t take a hint, they thought that just because he didn’t retaliate, it meant that he couldn’t, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Sans was just biding his time, waiting for one of them to slip up so he could take action. Karma has a way of sneaking up on a person, and Sans would make sure they got everything that was coming to them.

And finally, they crossed a line. Papyrus was up at dawn getting ready for work when the knock came, the boys weren’t used to visitors so to have one at this hour was baffling. He answered the door to a small package sitting at his feet, not recalling having ordered anything he picked the package up and gave it a good shake to see if he could guess what was inside. The rough vibration set a string loose causing the device inside to ignite, resulting in a string of firecrackers exploding in Papyrus’ hands. The explosion woke Sans, and in a panic he took a quick shortcut to the front door to see Papyrus doubled over in pain, clutching his hands to his chest in tears while the neighbors stood by laughing.

“that’s it. i’ve had enough of you disgusting creatures tormenting us.” Sans growled at the men, “you wanna play games? i can play games,” his one working eyelight extinguished, Sans began channeling magic preparing for an attack.

The laughter died down when the men saw the horrifying expression on Sans’ face, realizing he might actually retaliate this time had them second guessing their little prank.

“L-look man, we were just having fun. It wasn’t supposed to hurt him.” The man they knew to be Nick, pleaded.

“b u l l s h i t. ya knew exactly what you were doin, ya’ve been harassing us since day one and i ain’t gonna sit by and watch you continue with this _anymore,_ someone needs to show you two where you really belong” behind Sans, a large, floating monstrosity begins taking shape. “ya think jus because ‘ve been nice enough _not_ to hurt you so far, that you can walk all o’er us?” The creature behind Sans has formed into that of a giant animal skull, with a large maw packed full of razor-sharp teeth and large cracks surrounding it’s left eye socket. Blood red eyelights stare the men down and the creature opens its jaw in preparation.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing m-monster? It’s illegal to attack humans with magic!” Drake tried to sound brave, but the slight stutter gave away his true feelings. 

“no-ones gonna take paps from me again, you two picked the wrong monsters to fuck with.” A blinding white light fills the creature’s mouth and the men drop to their knees, begging to be spared. “heh, not a chance. get dunked on.” The creature releases the blast of energy, and the apartments are swallowed by the consuming white light.

….

…..

Sans’ eyelight returns and the creature behind him disappears. He looks down at the spot where the two men had stood before, seeing nothing but a singed, red cape. His eyelight shrinks to the size of a pinprick and he drops to his knees. _What has he done!?!?!_

Paps… he, he dusted Papyrus!? How did he dust Papyrus? He was trying to put those humans in their place, to protect his brother! What went wrong!? No. no no no no no this is all wrong, this can’t be happening. Sans falls to his knees and starts tugging his eyesocket roughly, no no no this isn’t right, he’s not gone, that didn’t happen, what can he do!? What is he going to do now, he just _murdered_ his own brother! His only reason for living! No no no no no.

“SANS! SANS GET UP, I’M OKAY, LOOK AT ME I’M ALRIGHT!” Papyrus bends down and grabs Sans by his wrists. “I’M FINE BROTHER, YOU DIDN’T HURT ME. YOU DIDN’T HURT THE HUMANS EITHER, I WAS ABLE TO RESCUE THEM IN TIME.” Sans looks up at his brother in disbelief, he reaches up and touches Papyrus’ chest.

“See Sans, I’m here, I’m alright. Everything is alright.” Papyrus continues in a softer voice, the amount of relief that washes over Sans is too much and he collapses against Papyrus with tears streaming down his skull. 

“oh paps ‘m so sorry, i-i messed up, i just got so angry and, and… i could’ve killed you.” Sans grips Papyrus tighter, trying to reassure himself that his brother isn’t dust.

“IT’S OKAY BROTHER, NO HARM HAS COME TO ANY OF US. ALTHOUGH THEY DO SEEM TO BE RATHER SHAKEN UP, I’M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THIS MAY MEAN FOR US.” Meaning, a monster just attacked humans at their front door and regardless of who started it, Sans was going for the kill. If Papyrus hadn’t jumped in when he did, things could have been bad for ALL of the monsters, not just the skeleton brothers.

Sans looks around, their other neighbors had come out of their apartments, curious about the disturbances in the hall. The monster residents didn’t look surprised at the attack, but the humans were in shock. Some were cowering back into their rooms, and others were staring straight at him in a mixture of negative emotions. _Shit,_ what are they going to do?

This whole thing is going to look like an unprovoked attack on their neighbors and the boys could get in serious trouble for what just happened. He needed to fix this quick, before they get forced onto the streets, or worse, and he costs Papyrus the minimal security they have with this place.

“heh, would’ja look at that fellas,” He tries to put on his best smile for the neighbors, “told ya i could play games. pretty light show eh? really had ya goin for a minute there! thinkin i’d actually hurt ya. Heh heh… heh..” It’s a long shot but he was hoping he could play it off as a joke. The benefit of his gaster blaster is that it only damages living beings, so inanimate objects such as the apartment are left untouched. It wouldn’t be completely unreasonable to assume he just turned on a scary flashlight, but these guys don’t look like they’re buying his story.

“You’re done here monster” Drake spat back at Sans, “after that little display I could get you locked up for attempted murder!”

“NOW GENTLEMAN, THAT WON’T BE NECESSARY. MY BROTHER MEANT NO HARM, HE WAS JUST UPSET ABOUT THE LITTLE...ER GIFT YOU LEFT ON OUR FRONT STEP. SURELY WE CAN COME TO SOME SORT OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING HERE?” Papyrus pleaded with the humans.

“Mutual understanding huh, alright fine. How about you two hit the road and don’t come back. Pack your shit and get lost NOW or I’m turning you in.” He said with a smirk.

Leave? These men want Sans and Papyrus to leave?

Papyrus hesitates, “SURELY THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE WE CAN—”

“No, you attacked us. Look around, nobody wants you here.”

Looking around, Sans can see that the humans are shooting accusing glances in their direction, and the monsters look terrified of the consequences. Nobody is standing up to defend them, ~~they hate him~~ …

“VERY WELL… IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES TO PUT THIS WHOLE ORDEAL BEHIND US THEN WE WILL LEAVE. JUST GIVE US A FEW DAYS TO FIND SUITABLE HOUSING AND YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO SEE US AGAIN.”

“Not good enough monster, I want you gone today. Don’t care where you go but if I see you around these parts again, your brothers done.”

“Hey look man, maybe we can—” Nick started, but with a glare from Drake he snapped his mouth shut.

Turning back to face the brothers, Drake spat towards the ground near them, “Today” and with that, they turn and slam their door shut.

Today? Oh no, this is no good, where are they going to go? No he was supposed to do better! He can’t put Paps on the street again, not after all this time, it wouldn’t be right. Maybe if he just left… but then Papyrus would be stuck living next to those assholes alone, with no one to look out for him. No he can’t do that either, damn it! damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!

“SANS, PLEASE CALM DOWN. IT’S OKAY, WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS SOONER. THOSE TWO HAVE BEEN RATHER LOUSY NEIGHBORS FROM THE BEGINNING, SO THIS CAN BE A FRESH START FOR US. IT MAY BE ROUGH BUT TOGETHER, I BELIEVE WE CAN DO IT.”

But it’s his fault… he did this, if he could have just controlled his temper, ~~_Done this more discreetly_~~ then they’d still have _time_. He screwed up, he let down Paps, he’s a worthless excuse for a brother.

“BREATH SANS, IF YOU’RE UPSET ABOUT WHAT YOU DID, DON’T BE. I DON’T BLAME YOU FOR REACTING TO SUCH A CRUEL JOKE, WE ARE GOING TO BE FINE BROTHER, PLEASE DON’T WORRY.”

Papyrus held onto Sans as he came down from the attack, slightly rocking with his head in his hands and muttering apologies over and over.

“Papyrus? A-are you alright?” Sans’ head snaps to attention, his red eyelight turns to the front door where the human Papyrus has been working for is standing awkwardly. Great, what’s _she_ doing here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Out of everything I've written so far that smidgen of an action scene was the most difficult, I hope it wasn't too bad!
> 
> I also wanted to let you all know I've got a tumblr where you can talk about the fic if you'd like, constructive critisism is always welcome :) I've also drawn up a size chart and posted it there if you'd like to check that out as well. I don't have much on it yet because I've lived a sheltered life and am still learning technology (whoops) but I'll try posting updates and if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer :) Thanks for reading!
> 
> http://savvysp.tumblr.com/


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday, have a chapter with some Sans/Reader interaction finally!

You’re shocked at what you see when you arrive at Papyrus’ apartment. Lying on the ground at the top of the stairs, you find his scarf, singed and discarded. Now completely concerned, you slowly approach the open door and find Papyrus on his knees comforting another monster.

“Papyrus? A-are you alright?” you manage to stutter out. You’ve never seen him without his scarf, so to find it smoking in the hallway made you nervous. Seeing him on the floor holding a distraught monster can’t be a good sign and you’re glad you decided to come check on him. Something bad has clearly happened here.

When the skeletons notice you, you’re startled to find that the monster Papyrus is comforting is none other than your mystery savior! His head shoots up when you address them and his giant, red eyelight focuses on you with an intensity that makes you shrink into yourself.

“You uhm, you didn’t call in this morning and it’s not like you, so I started to worry. Is e-everything okay here? Do you need any help?”

Papyrus turns to you and forces a smile, “OH Y/N, NO THAT’S QUITE ALRIGHT. I APPRECIATE THAT YOU’VE COME TO CHECK ON ME THOUGH! WE’VE JUST HAD A MINOR HICCUP IN OUR DAY THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT CALLING TO NOTIFY YOU I WOULDN’T BE IN, THERE SIMPLY HASN’T BEEN THE TIME FOR THAT.”

A hiccup? Something happened here and it was enough to cause that terrifying skeleton monster to break down and Papyrus calls that a hiccup? What is going on here.

“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help? I’m already here after all so if you need anything….”

“NO NO, I WOULDN’T WANT TO KEEP YOU FROM THE BAKERY. SURELY OUR CUSTOMERS WILL BE DISAPOINTED TO MAKE THE TRIP, ONLY TO FIND WE’VE CLOSED UP SHOP WITH NO NOTICE! I WILL UNFORTUNATELY, NEED TO TAKE THE DAY OFF TO PACK, BUT FRET NOT, I WILL BE AT WORK BRIGHT AND EARLY IN THE MORNING TO MAKE UP FOR MY ABSENCE.”

“What do you mean pack? Are you two moving?”

“WELL, UHM, YES WE ARE.” Papyrus looks to his brother uncomfortably. You glance at the other skeleton and realize you haven’t been introduced.

“Well of course you can have the day off. If you need more time please let me know, you can take as much as you need, I’ll hold down the fort until you’ve settled. By the way, I haven’t had the pleasure of officially meeting you yet, I’m Y/n.” You hold out your hand to the other skeleton and he looks at it with a frown. Is he going to take it? You start to sweat a bit, you really didn’t think this through. You’ve ran into this monster twice and he hasn’t uttered a word to you, why would he want to shake your hand?

The skeleton moves his eyelight slowly up to your face. He doesn’t look angry, neutral would be the best term to describe how he’s staring at you. You’re starting to feel awkward holding your hand out like this so you start to lower it. Before you can blink, the large skeleton is in front of you and you hadn’t realized before, but he really is massive. At least two heads taller than you and his torso is incredibly large, where Papyrus is tall and somewhat slender, this monster certainly fills himself out and it’s quite intimidating.

Your hand is frozen midway through lowering it, the shock of him appearing in front of you has you locked in place. The way his eyelight is assessing you makes it feel like he’s staring straight into your soul. You suppress a shudder at this thought, you know that physical souls are a thing, and the idea that this monster is staring straight through it makes you feel incredibly vulnerable.

“SANS STOP SCARING THE POOR HUMAN!” Papyrus chastises his brother, “SHE IS SIMPLY TRYING TO INTRODUCE HERSELF, YOU COULD BE A LITTLE MORE HOSPITABLE!”

Sans scoffs at this, “……… names sans. sans the skeleton.” He introduces himself, but makes it clear he still doesn’t intend to shake your hand, so you lower it completely and take a step back. He was standing so close you could smell what seemed to be pine trees with a hint of iron. He relaxes a bit when you’ve stepped backwards, maybe some show of dominance he feels he just won? You aren’t sure but you find yourself wondering how someone as sweet as Papyrus could be related to someone so… well intimidating!

“YOU’LL HAVE TO EXCUSE MY BROTHER, HE DOESN’T GET OUT MUCH.” Papyrus rolls his eyelights at Sans and turns to you, “NOW AS I SAID BEFORE, YOU SHOULD GET BACK TO THE BAKERY SO WE DON’T LOSE ANY MORE CUSTOMERS THAN WE ALREADY POTENTIALLY HAVE. I WORKED TOO HARD TO BRING YOUR ESTABLISHMENT UP TO MY LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE AND I’LL NOT HAVE YOU THROWING IT AWAY TO HELP US PUT ITEMS IN BOXES. I WOULD HOWEVER, APPRECIATE ANY LEADS YOU MAY HAVE TO TEMPORARY HOUSING, AS WE HAVE A SHORT TIME FRAME WITH WHICH TO VACATE THE PREMISES, AND I’D RATHER NOT SLEEP ON A BENCH THIS EVENING, THEY ARE QUITE UNCOMFORTABLE YOU KNOW!”

Temporary housing!? They must have been kicked out of their apartment for some reason, and now they may end up on the streets!? Oh no you can’t have that!

“Temporary housing? Well Papyrus… the only temporary housing I know of is the shelter a few blocks away, but it can be a bit harsh and I don’t think too many monsters pass through there, I don’t want to send you there only to have you treated poorly!”

“YOU’RE TOO KIND Y/N BUT IT’S ALRIGHT. SANS AND I CAN HANDLE OURSELVES AND IF IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BENCH AND A BED, WE WILL MAKE DO.”

Make do…. The others at the shelter would eat Papyrus alive! (figuratively speaking of course) You know from your experience with the attacker that there are monster racists out in that area, and you couldn’t bear to send these two to those wolves! You may have no choice here…

Stars above, you hope that whoever is up there is getting a good laugh right now, because clearly there has been some sort of divine intervention that has made the decision to thrust these two skeletons at you and say ‘here, you’re mother now’. You can’t just let them live on the streets! Not when you’ve got a perfectly unused guest bedroom collecting cobwebs in your home.

“Well Papyrus if it’s only temporary housing you’re looking for…. I do have a rather large guest bedroom? It may be a bit cramped for awhile but if you need somewhere to go while you figure out what’s next, I’d be happy to let you stay with me.”

Sans narrows his eyesockets at you, but Papyrus beams, “WHY Y/N, WE COULDN’T POSSIBLY ASK YOU TO DO THAT! HOWEVER, I MOST CERTAINLY CAN’T REFUSE AN OFFER FOR WHAT COULD BE THE MOST SPECTACULAR SLEEP-OVER WITH MY MOST SPECTACULAR HUMAN FRIEND! IT WOULD BE QUITE RUDE OF ME TO REFUSE SUCH A GRACIOUS INVITATION, SO WHILE PART OF ME AGONIZES OVER INVADING YOUR PRIVATE RESIDENCE, THE REST OF ME ACCEPTS YOUR HUMBLE INVITATION. IT WILL BE… WELL SPECTACULAR, JUST YOU WAIT!”

For some reason you find it hard to believe that Papyrus is in any sort of agony, with that grin plastered on his skull, but you’re a little concerned about Sans. Frankly he’s a tad bit terrifying and you aren’t sure you’re comfortable with him staying in your home, but Papyrus is such an innocent bean that you can’t help but think his brother must have SOME redeeming qualities, he did save you after all. However, that look he’s leveling you with makes you feel about two inches tall, not the look you would expect to be receiving after having just opened your home to these two.

Which leads you to think maybe you can do something else to improve Papyrus’ mood, he’s been complaining about how lazy his brother is and you’d rather not leave this skeleton in your home for 8 hours a day alone, so maybe there is a compromise you can come to.

“Papyrus I’d be happy to let you two stay as long as you need, but I have one condition, Sans needs to look for a job.” Oh stars you hope that didn’t sound rude, you don’t want to anger him but it doesn’t sound like an unreasonable request! Please let them see that…

“tha hell is that suppose’ to—”

“WHY OF COURSE MY BROTHER WOULD BE HAPPY TO SEARCH FOR EMPLOYMENT, WON’T YOU BROTHER?” Papyrus interrupts Sans with a glare, to which the monster actually recoils! So he isn’t as tough as he makes himself out to be? Well it’s a relief to see that Papyrus can keep his brother in line when he needs to.

“tch, whatever yea i’ll get a job.” Sans rolls his eyelight and turns around to leave. You consider saying it was nice to meet him but well… even if you tried you don’t see him returning the sentiment.

“Well I guess that’s settled then. You two can pack up and I can stop by after work to show you the way? Are you sure you don’t need any help packing?”

“NO I BELIEVE WE WILL DO JUST FINE, THANK YOU SO MUCH Y/N, IT TRULY IS AN HONOR THAT YOU’RE SO WILLING TO OPEN YOUR HOME TO US, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HOW _RUDE MY BROTHER IS BEING!”_ Papyrus emphasizes that last bit with a sour look towards his brother. You won’t deny he’s been rude and you aren’t quite sure what you’ve done to offend him, but you’re hoping whatever it is can be cleared up soon because if he’s going to be staying with you then you’re going to need him to ease up on the intimidation tactics. You’re doing this to keep Papyrus off the streets and out of danger because he’s too pure for this world, but his brother seems to be a different story and in your opinion he’s lucky to have such a wonderful sibling.

“It’s fine Papyrus, I’m sure he’ll warm up to me eventually. I’ll see you this afternoon then! Please don’t hesitate to call if anything comes up.”

“OF COURSE, THANK YOU AGAIN, I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR FIRST SLUMBER PARTY! JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE WHAT I’VE GOT PLANNED.” Papyrus jumps excitedly, and you can’t help but wonder for just a moment if he hadn’t planned this when he asked you for leads on housing.

As you head back to the bakery one thought keeps popping into your mind, what have you gotten yourself into?

*****

Stupid human sticking her nose in our business, who does she think she is throwing out rooms to ‘the poor helpless monsters’. Probably thinks she’s some damn saint or something, patting her own back for a job well done. And what was that bullshit about him getting a job? He had already been planning on it but now thanks to _her_ it’s going to seem like the only reason he’s doing it is because she said to. Hell he’s got half a mind not to look, just to show her he doesn’t have to bend to her will.

What does Paps see in her? She’s just another human, yea she doesn’t seem to have any LV but that doesn’t mean anything. Wouldn’t be the first time a human fooled him… would it? Sans scratches the edge of the crack in his skull, why does he think a human can hide LV? This is so frustrating!! Ever since this damn injury he’s had this nagging feeling, something bad happened but he just can’t remember what it was. Maybe that’s why he’s so bitter about this human that’s wormed her way into Papyrus’ good graces.

… It has nothing to do with the fact that Papyrus speaks so highly of her, constantly praising her for her skills in the kitchen. ‘Y/n this, Y/n that, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n, Y/N!’ He’s so sick of hearing that name. She’s just another greedy human looking out for her own interests, and sooner or later she’s gonna turn her back on them just like…… _*scratch scratch*…._ Why can’t Papyrus see that she’s just using him for some twisted game?

Well, it doesn’t matter, if they’re going to be staying with her then maybe Sans can dig up some dirt to prove she’s not little miss high and mighty. Then Papyrus will see that he doesn’t need some stupid human around, Sans is enough, Sans is the one who takes care of him and Sans is the only one he needs around. He’s not gonna let some human jump in and take his brother from him, _no one_ is going to take his brother from him ever again.

“SANS, PART OF THE PACKING PROCESS IS THE PACKING ITSELF, YOU WON’T GET VERY FAR BY SIMPLY STARING AT THE EMPTY BOXES.” Papyrus shakes Sans from his thoughts, “MOVE THOSE BONES BROTHER, WE DON’T HAVE LONG BEFORE Y/N COMES BACK AND I’D LIKE TO BE FINISHED BEFORE SHE DOES!”

Sans sighs, “a’right bro ‘m on it.” Y/n, y/n, y/n…. he really hates the way her name sounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look me up on tumblr :) 
> 
> https://savvysp.tumblr.com/
> 
> Edit: I feel I need to clear something up, that was brought to my attention with the first comment. In Chapter 6, Sans has a little breakdown where he thinks about life once Papyrus has fallen in love and left him behind and seems to come to terms with this, however in this chapter he gets a little aggressive with wanting to be the only one to take care of Paps. This isn’t him throwing the idea of Papyrus moving on out the window, but he’s got some real negative feelings about humans (that will be explained later on) and so the fact that it went from just the two of them, to Papyrus suddenly raving about his new human friend constantly and now she’s swooping in to be their “savior” it just isn’t sitting well with him. I’m finding it a little difficult to get some of these emotions across though, because I already know where these characters are going to go and I have to read the whole story from chapter 1 every time I start a new chapter, just so I can try and keep it straight on where they are emotionally.   
> That’s my biggest hurdle and I’m sorry for the long rant but to those of you who read it, I hope this cleared up some things ^-^”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minor gore and cannibalism mentioned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys! When I posted this story I never expected it to get the attention it has, and wowie am I surprised!
> 
> But this also made me take a hard look at the story, because now I feel like I need to make it better than I had originally intended, so I'm sorry it's been a little quiet this week!
> 
> Thanks to the help of my AMAZING new Beta, AmyScarlet, I've managed to get some pretty great ideas for where to take this and will hopefully be giving you a better story as a result.
> 
> Thank you all for your support <3 Enjoy!

It’s a good thing Papyrus sent you back to the bakery, you’ve been swamped with orders all day! Which has been great for keeping you distracted from thoughts of how concerned you were this morning. It seemed every time your mind would wander to what exactly it was you had walked in on at the apartment, you’d have an order for a dozen crab apple tarts. The minute you started to second guess letting these skeletons (one of which you hardly knew, the other who had only been in your employment for a couple of months) move in with you, you’d suddenly have four orders for cinnamon croquet rolls.

While the work was a welcome distraction, you hadn't realized just how much you had begun to enjoy Papyrus’ company. The bakery seemed just a bit less bright without him running around spouting words of encouragement, and you were more than ready to lock up once closing time hit. How had you come to rely so much on this giant skeleton monster? Did it have something to do with the fact that he was a monster? You’d had plenty of human employees before and not once had any of them learned any facts about the life you led outside of work (even if that life was one of a mountain hermit) and you most certainly never considered letting any of them become your new roommates!

Previously, your interactions with humans on a day-to-day basis was at a minimum, and your monster interactions were even lower than that, practically non-existent! If you thought back on it, the only monster you had ever met before Papyrus had been an alligator monster that worked the register at your local grocery. She was nice enough, a little chatty, but there was something about Papyrus that just drew you in from the beginning, you didn’t get that same feeling with her so you may rule out the monster theory.

Regardless of whatever it is about him, you’re going to have to get used to the idea of sharing your space for a while. You told the boys they could stay in your guest bedroom, but you hadn’t been in that room in years. It would definitely need to be cleaned out… oh no, what were you thinking!? Your chest starts to feel tight; you can’t do this, you can’t let someone stay in that room? You haven’t touched that room since… you haven’t touched that room in almost ten years. Your palms are getting sweaty, what are you going to do with everything in there? You can’t very well let the skeletons clear it out, what if they ask questions!

Your heart rate picks up as your mouth goes dry and breathes seem to come faster and faster, you need to calm yourself down. It’s okay, it’s fine, breathe, just breathe… one, two, three. Papyrus won’t judge and if you explain to him that you don’t want to discuss it then surely he will drop the matter.

One, two, three. You can get a storage unit for now, ten years is a long time to just sit collecting dirt after all.

One, two, three. Maybe you’ve waited long enough, eventually you’re going to have to do _something_ with their personal belongings.

One… two… three… Maybe this will be a good thing, maybe this is some sort of sign that it’s time to let go.

One… two… _exhale_ , alright... you can do this. You can’t very well take back the offer. The skeletons are coming to stay with you now and you’re not going to go back on your word. Everything will work out… right?

****

“………. Uhm, Papyrus? Is that, is that ALL of your stuff?” You’re standing in the doorway to the skeleton brothers’ apartment, which has now been cleared out, but Papyrus is only carrying one box!

“WHY YES OF COURSE Y/N, WHY DO YOU ASK?” Papyrus tilts his head questioningly at you, as if you’d just asked the most ridiculous question.

Seriously? “Well, it just seems like you two might have had a _bit_ more to pack? I mean, I did say I have a guest bedroom but... well the furniture in there isn't exactly...” you don’t finish the sentence. 

“OH! OH IT APPEARS YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT A DIMENSIONAL BOX IS, MY WORD Y/N, YOU REALLY HAVE LIVED A RATHER SHELTERED LIFE HAVEN’T YOU?” Excuse you? “THIS IS A DIMENSIONAL BOX, IT’S USED FOR EASY STORAGE AND ONCE YOU PUT ITEMS IN, ONLY YOU ARE PERMITTED TO REMOVE THEM. IT MAKES MOVING RATHER SIMPLE!”

Well that…. is one of the coolest things you have ever heard of. This is a thing??? One box can pack an entire apartment? How in the world does that work! And why have you not researched the magical items monsters brought with them, before now!? Good grief maybe you HAVE been a bit sheltered recently…

“Wow, that is amazing! I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this, so only you have access to this specific box?” Maybe you can get one for yourself, it would certainly be more ideal than a storage unit.

“NOT EXACTLY. YOU SEE, ALL DIMENSIONAL BOXES ARE CONNECTED. SO IF I WERE TO LOSE THIS SPECIFIC BOX, I COULD SIMPLY OPEN ANOTHER ONE AND ALL OF MY ITEMS WOULD BE IN IT! ANYONE CAN USE ANY DIMENSIONAL BOX TO STORE AND REMOVE ITEMS THEY’VE PLACED, OR HAVE BEEN PLACED FOR THEM, BUT ONLY THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE ITEMS. IF YOU WERE TO OPEN THIS BOX YOU WOULDN’T SEE ANY OF MY ITEMS, AND IF YOU WERE TO PLACE ANY ITEMS IN IT THEN I WOULDN’T HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

“Yea I think I do. That’s incredible! Uhm, well if that’s the case then would it be out of line for me to ask to store some things in your box? The guest bedroom I have for you two still has a lot of things I need to get cleared out before you can move in and I was just going to get a storage unit downtown but this sounds like it would be a much better option.”

“WHY OF COURSE! YOU’VE OPENED YOUR HOME TO US, THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS LET YOU USE OUR BOX. SPEAKING OF HOMES, SHALL WE GET GOING?”

“Absolutely,” you look around but don’t see Sans anywhere, “where’s your brother at?”

“h u m a n.”

“AHDFDSJLKA!!!” You scream and jump at the sudden voice directly behind you. You spin around and find yourself face-to-sternum with Sans. Your hand is covering your racing heart and you level him with a glare, “What is WRONG with you!? You scared the bejeezus out of me!”

He doesn’t answer you, no instead he only stares down at you with his single red eyelight. Surprise, surprise, the monster of few words, you think, as you continue to glare at him in return.

“SANS THAT IS QUITE RUDE OF YOU! APOLOGIZE THIS INSTANT, HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TO BE A GOOD ROOMMATE IF YOU CONTINUOUSLY SCARE HER LIKE THIS?” Papyrus chastises his brother.

It doesn’t seem to have any effect this time though, as Sans just continues to watch you. 

Standing up straight, you ball your hands into fists at your side, “It’s fine Papyrus, he just caught me by surprise is all. We should get going, I want to get everything packed up so you two can get settled in before it gets too late. Excuse me.” You walk around Sans and head downstairs, you can feel his eyelight on you with every step you take but you won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you shudder under his scrutinizing glare.

“SHAME ON YOU BROTHER,” you hear Papyrus tell Sans, “I HAD HOPED YOU WOULD GET ALONG WITH Y/N, CONSIDERING SHE’S GOING OUT OF HER WAY TO ENSURE WE HAVE A PLACE TO STAY. IT WOULD DO YOU SOME GOOD TO BE A LITTLE KINDER TO OUR HOST.” Damn straight it would, you think. You don’t need him to be friendly by any means, but you could do without the boogeyman act. 

Stars above, please don’t let this be the biggest mistake of your life.

****

Sans watched as she glared up at him, trying to make herself seem strong but he could read it on her face that she was intimidated by him. Good, he thought, she may be letting them stay in her house but if she thinks that means he’s going to do everything she tells him to, then she’s got another thing coming. He’s not going to just roll over and let her walk all over them, she may have Papyrus fooled but he’s got an eyesocket on her and if she takes one step out of line, she’s gonna have a bad time.

“Excuse me.” She steps around Sans, avoiding contact, and heads downstairs while he watches her every move.

“SHAME ON YOU BROTHER,” Papyrus scolds him, “I HAD HOPED YOU WOULD GET ALONG WITH Y/N CONSIDERING SHE’S GOING OUT OF HER WAY TO ENSURE WE HAVE A PLACE TO STAY. IT WOULD DO YOU SOME GOOD TO BE A LITTLE KINDER TO OUR HOST.” Kinder to our host, Is he serious?

…Of course he is, he’s Papyrus, and if his brother is anything, it’s a gentlemonster. He’s going to adhere to proper etiquette and all that, and probably force Sans to do the same. Fantastic, he’s going to have to play nice in front of his brother and try to keep his obvious loathing to a minimum. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a little more _subtle_ with his human monitoring though.

Sans feigns an apologetic look, “yer right paps, thought she might find a lil jump scare funny but i guess not,” he shrugs.

Papyrus doesn’t buy Sans’ apology for one minute but moves on, “VERY WELL, LET’S BE OFF BEFORE SHE REVOKES HER OFFER, BROTHER!” he heads out the door and Sans follows.

The walk isn’t incredibly far, Sans never followed her all the way home so he wasn’t sure where it was she lived. He hangs back a bit watching Papyrus chat excitedly with the human, discussing all of his plans for their extended sleepover including games, movies, and bonding in the kitchen. _Bonding in the kitchen,_ Sans scoffs internally, there was a time this human would have ended up on the tail end of that ‘bonding’, and while he hates what they had to do down there, he can’t help but wonder if she’d still offer them a room if she had _seen_ what went on underground. It’s one thing to hear stories but to actually witness the gruesome deeds, well, even Sans still has nightmares.

She’s all kinds of hospitable for now, but what happens when she sees one of the brothers go through an episode? Papyrus isn’t too bad anymore, he improved tremendously after his therapy sessions, but Sans is damaged goods, his soul is in a constant state of turmoil over the confusion it feels. He’s the judge, a role that fills his soul with patience and justice, and he _murdered_ humans in cold blood. Sure he did it to feed the citizens of the underground but most of those humans (probably) didn’t deserve what they got.

The role he played in actively hunting down these humans left his soul screaming, if he had let the humans travel the underground, and prove to him they deserved to be at the end of his axe, then the judge wouldn’t have any reason to argue his actions. But there wasn’t time for that, and if he had let them journey through then who knows how many monsters they would have dusted, just so he could keep a clear conscience. No, they were dead the moment they fell into the underground so why delay the inevitable, he needed to feed hungry mouths and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sometimes though, it’s a little harder to convince himself that what he did was right. He killed the humans and distributed the meat, but he never ate it himself. He forced his brother to eat, he tricked Grillby into serving it, but he himself never touched it. He told himself that he was doing this so there was more to go around, but in reality he was disgusted by it. He couldn’t choke down the meat if he wanted to, but he made sure that every other monster ate. Maybe it eased some guilt in him, as if not eating the humans made him just a fraction less responsible, but deep down he knows that everything the monsters went through, they went through because of him. If he had just _stopped that little demon—_

“Well this is it, my humble abode!”

“WOWIE Y/N!! YOUR HOME IS QUITE BEAUTIFUL!” Papyrus exclaims with pure joy written all over his face.

Even Sans had to admit that the humans house was ideal, secluded enough that they wouldn’t have to worry about ~~witnesses~~ nosy neighbors and large enough that Papyrus wouldn’t have to crouch down constantly, but not too far from the city so he could still shortcut there in just a couple jumps.

Well if he has to room with a human, at least she’s got some taste. _Heh._


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank the wonderful AmyScarlet for her editing prowess and helpful ideas <3
> 
> Also, if everything goes according to plan I think we are going to shoot for a Saturday update schedule :)
> 
> Your comments are all super motivating! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapters so don't be shy ^_^

It’s time. You stand in front of the door to the room, your throat dry and chest tight. It’s been so long since you’ve seen the inside of this bedroom that you really aren’t sure what to expect, it must be absolutely covered in dust by now but has anything changed? Surely not, for so long it’s only been you and Daisy, there hasn’t been anyone else around _to_ change anything. Can you really do this?

You feel a large hand rest on your shoulder and look up to see Papyrus standing beside you, “Y/N IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?”

You place your hand on top of his and take a deep breath, “Yea, it’s just been awhile since I’ve been in here. I’m going to need a minute.”

Thankfully he doesn’t press you for answers, it seems he understands this is something you want to do on your own. “VERY WELL, IF YOU DON’T MIND, I COULD START DINNER WHILE YOU’RE CLEARING OUT THE ROOM?”

“That would be great Papyrus, I’ll try not to take too long but I think there’s a lot of stuff in here. I don’t have much in the kitchen either, I haven’t gone shopping this week and I wasn’t exactly expecting guests” you apologize. You’re pretty sure you’ve got some veggies, maybe a loaf of bread and condiments but other than that it’s just your icebox packed with frozen dinners.

“NO NEED TO FRET, I PACKED THE ITEMS FROM OUR PANTRY AS WELL SO LET ME JUST CLEAR THOSE OUT AND YOU CAN TAKE THE DIMENSIONAL BOX.” He leaves to go unload his groceries, and you take this minute to prepare yourself for what you have to do.

You lift a trembling hand to the doorknob and twist, the door slowly creaks open and you feel as if you’re stepping into a crypt. You take a look around the room, everything is just as you left it all those years ago. Stacked along the wall to your right are the boxes full of old family mementos. There are picture frames that used to adorn the living room walls, photo albums that your mother tried so hard to fill, video tapes from every holiday your family celebrated, and various other items you packed away after the accident.

To the left is a large dresser filled with small clothes that were never worn, a rocking chair that was never used, and directly in front of you… is the bassinet. Your baby brother was meant to use it when he came home, and you tear up at the sight of it. Slowly you approach the bassinet and run your hand over the smooth wood covered in years of dust. You remember helping your dad build it as a surprise for your mom. He did the woodwork himself and you decorated it with plush fabrics that you embroidered by hand, it wasn’t the best stitch work by any means, but you were proud of it. The two of you had managed to add the finishing touches the day before he was born, and you and dad were going to show the completed project off when you all returned from the hospital. Unfortunately, your mother never got to see it. Tears flow down your cheeks as you reach for the embroidered blanket in the bassinet. 

“Y/N, MAY I COME IN?” You yank your hand back as if you’d been burned and turn to face Papyrus, wiping the tears from your face.

“y-yes, yes you’re fine Papyrus. Did you finish unloading the groceries?”

“OF COURSE, I HAVE THE BOX FOR YOU HERE IF YOU’RE READY. ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T NEED ANY HELP?” He asks hesitantly.

“No, I need to do this on my own. I do have to ask though, can this box fit furniture? I assumed it had yours in it, but I wouldn’t really know how to start loading some of these... larger items in there.”

“AH YES, SANS CAN ASSIST YOU WITH THAT!” He glances behind you to the bassinet, then back to your face. You can tell he’s holding back questions, and you appreciate it. “I WILL JUST…. START DINNER PREPARATIONS THEN, AND I’LL SEND SANS IN TO HANDLE THE LARGER ITEMS FOR YOU.”

“Thanks Papyrus.” He turns to leave but pauses, then he turns around and, in a flash, has you wrapped up in a tight embrace.

“I DO NOT KNOW YOUR STORY Y/N, BUT IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU EVER WISH TO TALK ABOUT, I’M HERE FOR YOU.” He tells you as he releases you from his iron grip and walks away. You have to fight back the tears that threaten to spill again at his gesture, it’s been so long since you’ve been hugged….

You take a deep breath and give your cheeks a light slap. You need to pull yourself together and get through this. You walk over and open the dimensional box to investigate, you were a little skeptical about the way this thing worked, and you were genuinely curious as to whether or not you would see Papyrus’ items. When you look inside… it’s so dark and vast that you wonder if you aren’t gazing into a black hole, but he was right and you don’t see anything he placed in there. You do, however, have a feeling that there _is_ something in there. It’s a strange sensation, you can’t physically see what’s in the box, but it feels as if ‘Mysterious Item’ is displayed across your very being. You reach into the box to pull out this mysterious item and are surprised when your fingers wrap around a small yellow object that definitely wasn’t there two seconds ago. You pull your hand out and open your palm to reveal a small, glowing yellow star?

***Mysterious Item – Heals ??**

***Filled with good intentions, hope for a better future, and DETERMINATION**

You blink, that was odd. Did you just _see_ words? What in the world is going on here, and didn’t Papyrus say you could only pull out items you had placed in? This little decoration does _not_ look familiar, and you had never seen a dimensional box before so you know that you wouldn’t have placed it in there. So where did it come from? You hear a shuffle from the hallway and quickly stuff the star back inside, you aren’t sure why, but it feels like nobody else should see this right now.

You look up to see Sans walk in the door, he takes a slow look around the room before his eyelight rests on you. Your shoulders tense and you pray he doesn’t pull anything rude in here, you haven’t set foot in this room in ten years and if he pushes you, then you aren’t sure you’d be quite as willing to let him stay.

You wait with bated breath as he looks from you, to the bassinet, to the packed boxes and finally back to you. You can’t tell what he’s thinking, his face is perfectly neutral and he isn’t saying a word.

“this the stuff that needs to go in?” he finally addresses you.

You let go of the breath you had been holding and answer with a quick, “yes.”

He gives a soft huff of confirmation, and then focuses his attention on the bassinet. You notice his eyelight dilate slightly as he raises his hand, and the bassinet is coated in a thin layer of blue light. Your eyes go wide as it’s slowly lifted into the air and hovered above the box, when he starts lowering it, the item starts to shrink, much to your amazement! You can’t believe what you’re seeing when it’s finally lowered completely inside the relatively tiny box, and watch as he repeats the process with the dresser and rocking chair.

“That was incredible,” you say softly, completely astounded by the display of magic.

Sans grunts in response and turns to leave the room, “T-thank you!” you manage to stutter out as he’s walking away. He pauses in the doorway, but doesn’t respond, and after a few seconds continues to leave.

Well that could have gone worse, you think to yourself. You glance around the room at your family’s mementos, this is going to be rough, but at least you can distract yourself with the wonder that is this magic box.

****

Even HE isn’t that big of an asshole. That room was obviously built to be a nursery, for a child of yours perhaps? The fact that it was coated in dirt and cobwebs tells him that whoever that room was intended for had been gone a long time, and you were clearly still in mourning. He could be civil for a moment to help pack away those painful memories, he may not like you, but he can understand what it means to lose family. A red scarf laying in a pile of dust in the snow briefly filters across his vision before he grits his teeth and shakes his head to dislodge the thought.

He heads to the kitchen to watch Papyrus prepare dinner, but when he turns the corner, he’s knocked over by an over-eager dog who thinks it just found a bone to chew on.

“son of a—get off’a me mutt!” He shoves at the dog trying to get it to let go of his tibia, to no avail. The dog is happily (and luckily gently) gnawing at his legbones and doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.

“papyrus can you throw me a bone here? this mutt has me confused fer a chew toy!”

Papyrus pops his head out of the kitchen and grins, “WHY BROTHER, YOU APPEAR TO HAVE MADE A NEW FRIEND ALREADY! IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, YOU USED TO LET THAT ANNOYING DOG TERRORIZE ME CONSTANTLY, WHERE WAS THE BONE I REQUESTED YOU THROW ME, HM?” Papyrus says with a wink before retreating back to the kitchen with a “NYEHEHEH.”

Ah jeez, can’t a monster catch a break? Sans looks down to the dog who still has his tibia locked in its jaws, and sees the collar attached to its neck. “daisy huh? hey girl, howsabout you lay off the bones and i get you somethin real good to chew on?”

Daisy looks up at him, seemingly understanding his intention, and releases his leg reluctantly.

“heh, thanks buddy. be right back,” Sans shortcuts out and picks up a little treat for his new pal. He returns with a large bone for the pup, “now yer a smart girl, you can figure out which bones you can, and which bones you can’t chew on eh?” Daisy cocks her head to the side, tongue lolling out in desperation for the thick bone she’s being presented with. “you gonna keep to the chew toys and leave my legs alone?” Her tongue pulls back in her mouth and she straightens her head as if to say, yes sir!

“heh, good girl. here ya go.” Sans tosses her the bone and she catches it midair, running off to devour her prize.

Smart pup, Sans thinks to himself. Been awhile since he’s been this close to an animal, he doesn’t appreciate being gnawed on but he can let it slide, _this time_.

He walks in the kitchen, “hey bro, what’s cookin?”

“YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE IT, BUT I' M PREPARING A LOVELY VEGETARIAN LASAGNA! YOUR LITTLE ENCOUNTER MADE ME REALIZE THAT ANNOYING DOG IS, IN FACT, NOT HERE! MEANING IT’S SAFE TO PREPARE MY LASAGNA WITHOUT THAT GLUTTONOUS ANIMAL CONSUMING IT FIRST!” Papyrus exclaims. “I DO HOPE Y/N LIKES PASTA, IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I’VE PREPARED THIS PARTICULAR DISH BUT I ASSURE YOU, IT WILL BE DIVINE NYEHEHE” 

“heh, ‘m sure it’ll be im-pasta-ble for her to dislike it” Sans says with a wink.

Papyrus stops what he’s doing to whip around and point a saucy spoon in Sans’ direction, “NO! WE HAVEN’T EVEN UNPACKED OUR BELONGINGS YET, I WILL NOT HAVE YOU SPOUTING THOSE INSUFFERABLE PUNS AT THE DINNER TABLE ALREADY!”

Sans raises his hands in mock surrender, “what can i say, thought i’d try and tickle our new roomies funny bone.” ~~in the distance, a quick ‘badum tss’ can be heard~~

“SIGH! IT HAS BEEN A LONG DAY BROTHER, I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOUR SHENANIGANS IF I’M TO PREPARE A DELECTABLE MEAL FOR OUR HOST. WHY DON’T YOU GO PLAY WITH THE DOG, YOUR FRIENDSHIP SEEMS TO HAVE SOME REAL…. PET-TENTIAL NYEHEHE!”

“heh, good one Paps.” Sans smiles, man his brother is so cool, but he would much rather take a look around the house. He starts in the living room, pretty standard stuff here, couch up against the wall facing a mounted television that’s hanging over a fireplace, a bay window overlooking the city with a small built in bookcase that serves as a bench for reading. Glancing through her selection, he sees a wide variety of cookbooks, a few fictions, and a handful of other genres. She’s got a nice view, he can tell she spends a lot of time in this spot by the cushion that’s been worn from use. 

It’s not a huge house, looks like a few bedrooms with the kitchen and living room and maybe a couple of bathrooms. He shortcuts just outside the bedroom she’s packing, trying to be quiet, he peeks in and sees her going through the closet. He watches her for a few moments, sees her handling everything gently and with great care before placing them in the dimensional box, as if each item will crumble beneath her touch. The whole room feels that way in his opinion, the rest of the house is warm and welcoming, it’s full of her scent, but this room is odorless, stale, and hollow. It’s clearly been locked away for a while, and the warm atmosphere of the rest of the house hasn’t permeated this area. 

He’s watched her long enough, so he turns to leave and explore the door at the end of the hallway next when out of the corner of his eyesocket, he sees her bedroom door cracked open. Well she never said he wasn’t allowed to look around, so he approaches the door and slowly opens it completely. 

He’s met with the overwhelming aroma of _her_ , her scent hangs in the air here like a thick cloud and the sweet scent is _~~enticing~~_ suffocating. He quickly pulls the door shut again and shortcuts to the couch. That’s enough investigating for now, he hasn’t seen anything that stands out as threatening so far, but it’s only day one. Eventually, everyone’s skeletons come out of the closet.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTICE!! PLEASE READ!! HEY YOU! YEA, YOU! OVER HERE!!
> 
> I updated Chapter 7! :) I needed to fix some minor discrepencies, and after some great feedback, wanted to set some things up for the future so I made a pretty big edit on the second half of Chapter 7, so for those of you who haven't read the update, I'm sorry that I tossed in an edit after you've already read through the story so far, but I think in the long run it will make some things much better. 
> 
> Thank you all for the support you've given, it means so much to me that you like the story (and we haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet!!) I'm so excited to get each chapter out and see your thoughts <3
> 
> As always, thank you to the wonderful/amazing/stupendous AmyScarlet, who you can thank for the length this story will end up being (she's a slave driver, I swear XD)

Well this is it then, everything’s been packed away. You take a look around the now empty room, it’s a bittersweet feeling, knowing so many of your family’s belongings are packed away in a lone box. It’s amazing that it could fit so much, and you feel a little relieved at being able to keep those items close. It wouldn’t have felt right taking them to a storage shed, and this way you have access to them whenever you want. 

You aren’t quite ready to dive into the albums and videos, but you’re glad you finally got the push you needed to come in here. This has been long overdue and you’re hoping the boys, at least Papyrus, can breathe some life into this room again. It's ironic that you're depending on _skeletons,_ beings normally associated with death, to bring **life** back to the room. With one last look around, you give a small exhale and leave to check up on your two houseguests. 

When you head towards the kitchen to see what Papyrus is cooking, you notice Sans napping on the couch. You stop and examine him while you have a chance, he isn’t quite as scary when he’s sleeping like this. It would be foolish of you to try and get closer, so you opt to stay right where you are and look from afar. One thing you notice is that his jacket is incredibly dirty and _very_ worn, he seems to have been wearing it for a very long time and you wonder if it came with him from the underground, or did he get it on the surface?

You shudder to think he’s been wearing that thing since he was trapped below, because chances are that would indicate those stains on the front could be something more... sinister than ketchup. His slippers look a little newer, but by no means any cleaner. Of course, how clean could you expect a pair of house slippers to remain if one wears them as everyday shoes?

Your eyes wander up to his skull, his bones really are something to look at, it’s strange seeing a skeleton with no muscles or skin. It’s even more peculiar that he appears to be breathing! You hadn’t noticed it in Papyrus before, then again he seems to have so much energy he is practically vibrating with it and he always seems to be actively doing something, so you haven't really thought about it. Seeing Sans here though, you can tell his chest is rising and falling and you wonder if they have lungs? It’s not like you’ve seen any skeleton monsters shirtless so there could be anything under those clothes! 

The last thing you look at is the gaping, black hole in the side of his skull. You aren’t close enough to get a good look inside, but from this angle it almost reminds you of the dimensional box. How did he get such an injury? Does it hurt him, or cause any issues? If a human had an injury like that, it would kill them! But he isn’t a human, you remind yourself, he’s a monster that’s made up of magic and Stars above you know that means he’s capable of some remarkable things.

You’re so caught up in your thoughts you don’t notice him open his eyesockets to return your stare.

“take a picture, it’ll last longer” he says in a low voice, causing you to practically jump out of your skin.

Your face heats up at the realization you’ve been caught staring, “Oh gosh I’m sorry I just... I uh, you were sleeping and I didn’t want to… I didn’t m-mean to stare!” you stumble out an apology, averting your gaze to anywhere but him. How embarrassing! You should have just kept walking, why were you watching him sleep? What kind of creep does that!

Sans stands up from the couch and you manage to look back at him. He’s got his eyesockets narrowed at you, but he doesn’t say a word. Instead he disappears, AGAIN! You _really_ hate when he does that! You slowly turn around, praying he isn’t standing right behind you, and exhale with relief to see that he’s not.

You quickly head to the kitchen before he can pop out and scare you again, upon turning the corner though you see him leaning back in a chair at the dining room table, watching Papyrus finish up dinner.

  
“AH Y/N, HAVE YOU FINISHED PACKING EVERYTHING?”

You turn to Papyrus, “Yes I have, I left the box in there for you two to unload later. What’s for dinner?” you ask excitedly. Your tummy is rumbling and whatever he’s making smells delicious.

“LASAGNA! I’VE MADE IT FROM SCRATCH ALONG WITH A HEALTHY SALAD TO ACCOMPANY IT” He boasts proudly, he’s even assumed the position with his scarf waving valiantly behind him. You notice it’s a little worse for wear and can’t help but wonder what exactly happened at the apartment, the scarf had been lying on the ground a little beat up last you saw but neither of the boys commented on it.

“Well that sounds delicious! It’s been awhile since I’ve had a home cooked meal, why don’t I set the table.” You won’t comment on the scarf, whatever may have happened is probably still fresh in their minds, and both of them had the decency not to comment on the guest room so you’ll give them the same courtesy.

Papyrus brings the food over while you busy yourself setting the dishes out and pulling out a bottle of wine.

“It’s not every day I find myself with new roommates, I think this first meal calls for something special! Do either of you drink?” You aren’t much of a drinker, but you know this wine tastes great paired with a good red sauce, so it’s perfect for toasting to a new friendsh-- er... experience.

“GASP!” Did Papyrus just say the word gasp? “Y/N, THAT IS A WONDERFUL IDEA! I’VE NEVER TRIED IT, BUT I’VE READ THAT IT IS QUITE IMPORTANT TO TOAST TO MOMENTOUS OCCASIONS, AND THIS IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS!”

“It certainly is, Papyrus, but if you’ve never drank alcohol before then we may have to limit you to just half a glass with dinner! To be honest, I’m not really sure how human alcohol affects monsters either so I’d rather not risk overwhelming you. What about you Sans, would you like some?”

He looks at you for a moment, is he always this quiet or is it only around you?

“got any ketchup?”

……. Ketchup? How is asking for ketchup an appropriate response?

“……. Yeees?” You walk over to the fridge and retrieve your bottle of ketchup, “Here you are, would you like me to pour you a glass… of…. WHAT ARE YOU DOING??”

You can’t believe what you’re seeing right now! This skeleton just picked up your bottle of ketchup, popped the top, and STARTED DRINKING IT!?!?! You have to hold back a gag, that is the most disgusting thing you’ve ever seen!

He must be able to read your horrified expression, because for the first time since you’ve met him, he cracks a smile. You just stand there with your face screwed up in disgust, before turning away from him to retrieve two wine glasses. If he wants to be a funny guy then fine, but you’re getting yourself a glass of wine, you’re going to need it to get through this dinner.

Papyrus doesn’t seem fazed by this however, and simply states, “IT’S A HORRENDOUS HABIT HE’S HAD FOR… WELL AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. HE SEEMS TO THINK IT’S AMUSING AND IS ONLY FUELED FURTHER BY THE REACTIONS HE RECEIVES. IT’S BEST TO IGNORE HIS ANTICS.”

Ignore him? Well that you can do! “Alright, well the lasagna smells amazing Papyrus, let’s dig in!”

****

Dinner was just as delicious as you expected, and it was a pleasant feeling having guests over. Well, it was pleasant having Papyrus anyways, Sans was another story. While Papyrus spent the evening chatting about himself, the monster ambassador, monsters he’s kept in touch with, and anything else that crossed his mind, Sans resolved himself to switching between glaring at you and admiring his brother.

You had to give him props though, he could change his facial expression at the drop of a dime, so it seemed Papyrus was completely unaware of the looks you were receiving. Not wanting to spoil his good mood, you chose not to call Sans out on his rude table manners. It’s still unclear what you’ve done to personally offend Sans, (being caught staring at him sleeping, while admittedly not the best manners on your part, _really_ shouldn't count considering all of your previous interactions have involved him staring mostly silently at you.) but so long as it’s only angry glares he’s sending your way, you can handle him. Maybe if you have some time alone, you’ll try to speak to him and find out what it is he thinks you’ve done.

After dinner, the skeleton brothers excused themselves to go unpack their belongings while you clean up the kitchen. With so much lasagna prepared you expected there to be leftovers, but those two could really put away some food! It’s understandable, they are rather large monsters and with what they had to go through underground you could see how they wouldn’t want to waste a single bite.

Underground… you know the stories, you know what they had to do, and you know that since coming to the surface they’ve been on a vegetarian diet. But something like that must cause some sort of deep-seated trauma, and for a moment you can’t help but worry about potential episodes of PTSD. What might their triggers be? Would it be rude to ask them so you don’t accidentally cause one of them to panic? If either of them were going to be triggered, it would probably be Sans. Papyrus seems fairly well adjusted but from the stories you’ve been told, his brother is a recluse and surely that injury to his skull has knocked at least a few screws loose. He already seems to dislike you, are you going to have to walk on eggshells around this guy?

Great, just great! You’ve welcomed two traumatized skeletons into your very _secluded_ home and you’re just NOW thinking it may have been a bad idea?

No, Papyrus is a good person, you don’t regret letting him stay with you for one moment and if Sans is just part of his baggage, well you can deal. Perhaps this could be a good thing for all of you! It has been lonely, and even though that’s something you brought upon yourself, maybe it will do you some good to have company that can actually hold a conversation outside of a few ‘woofs’ and tail wags. 

Maybe if you talk to Sans, you can figure out what it is you’ve done and you two could get along! It would certainly make this whole experience easier; you aren’t really sure how long they’ll be staying and you don’t want to come home to such animosity every day. 

You glance out the window, the sun has gone down and it’s so quiet in the kitchen that you can hear the crickets chirping outside. With the kitchen clean and the boys still unpacking, maybe it would be nice for you to sit out on the porch and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts, so you pour the remainder of wine into your glass and head to your favorite cushioned porch swing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment babies!!! 
> 
> We love interacting with you, it's so much fun!! XD


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see the notes at the end for a poll ^-^
> 
> Also, shout out to AmyScarlet for all the hard work she puts into editing my crazy mess of a story ^_^"

You were thankful for the small moment you had to yourself. While the boys were unpacking, you sat on the porch and thought about what in the world had come over you. Why was it so easy for you to invite these two skeletons to live with you? You hardly knew either of them! Sans is terrifying, intense, quiet, overprotective and seems to dislike you, do you really have to go on? And Papyrus, well he’s a big ball of sugar that doesn’t seem to be capable of hurting a fly, but he’s gigantic! He’s probably somewhere around 9-foot-tall and you just let him waltz in your front door like he had done it a thousand times! 

Where in the world are your survival instincts?? If your parents were here right now they’d… well they wouldn’t be happy about it but they’d tell you that your first instinct is probably the right one.

You sigh deeply and stare up at the night sky, your parents had always been too kind for this world. Always volunteering at shelters, raising money for charities, going out of their way to help anyone that needed it. Most of who you are now is thanks to them, you hope that you’ve made them proud. You’re sure they wouldn’t want you wasting away alone up here, they’d never want that for you but it’s so hard to let anyone in these days.

After they passed away you just sort of… shut down. You were eighteen and suddenly all alone in the world, your grandparents had all passed when you were younger, and neither of your parents had siblings so there wasn’t really anyone around for you to lean on. Maybe if you had tried to look harder you could have found some long-lost cousins, but if they weren't already a part of your life, then it just wouldn't be fair to impose on practical strangers to shoulder the burden of a traumatized teen that was just starting to learn how to function as an adult. Something you still wonder if you're doing correctly. 

As for friends, well after graduation you started to shut everyone out, stopped returning calls, kept everyone at arms length so you didn't have to worry... and so you didn't have to mourn anyone else. Then, you shut it _all_ out, bottled your feelings then moved on, and for ten years you’ve been _fine._ So how did Papyrus wedge himself so far into your life in such a short amount of time? Why did the thought of leaving the brothers alone to fend for themselves feel so wrong that you had to step in and welcome them into your home? Thinking about it, it does feel nice to be able to pay Sans back for saving you, and you know that you could never forgive yourself if you abandoned Papyrus in his time of need after everything he has probably already suffered. You know that your parents would've done the same if they were in your position. 

Your mother used to say that there were signs all around us, ‘everything happens for a reason, and if you shut out those new experiences, then you cut yourself off from a world full of beautiful moments’. You smile softly, she would say that this was a sign you needed to move on. You’ve been stuck in that one, horrible moment for too long and maybe it’s time you try something different.

With a soft exhale you think, this is fine, something needed to come and wake you up and it just happened to be in the form of two monstrous skeletons. Humming the lullaby your mom used to sing to you and watching the stars, you feel like a fraction of the weight you have been carrying has been lifted from your shoulders. You’re a long way from closure, but you have to start somewhere, maybe this is your new beginning. 

*****

“VOILA! OUR NEW SLEEPING QUARTERS ARE FINISHED, AND WHILE I _DESPISE_ YOUR LITTLE TORNADO, AT LEAST IT CLEANS UP YOUR SOCKS.” 

“heh, thanks fer lettin’ me keep it bro, yer the coolest.”

“WHY YES, YES I AM” he says proudly, “SPEAKING OF THE COOLEST, WE SHOULD INFORM Y/N THAT WE ARE FINISHED! I HAVE SO MANY PLANS FOR OUR FIRST EVENING TOGETHER AND I’M SURE SHE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT I HAVE IN STORE!” Papyrus runs out of the bedroom, with Sans following slowly behind him.

“Y/N! WE’VE FINISHED WITH OUR BEDROOM, IT’S TIME FOR DAY ONE OF OUR EXTENDED SLUMBER PARTY TO BEGIN! I HAVE GAMES, AND MOVIES, AND PUZZLES, AND….” He looks around but doesn’t see his human friend anywhere in the house. “WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? OH I KNOW! YOU’RE PLAYING HIDE-AND-SEEK! I’VE HEARD OF THIS GAME, WHAT A CLEVER HOST YOU ARE TO START THE GAMES WITHOUT US. WELL READY OR NOT HERE I COME!”

Papyrus runs off in search of y/n, checking every nook and cranny in the house, while Sans notices a small head swaying outside the window. She must have gone outside, so he shortcuts to the porch being careful to stay out of her field of vision.

She’s sat on a large porch swing staring up at the stars, holding an empty wine glass. She isn’t doing much, just softly swinging back and forth while humming a tune he doesn’t recognize. It’s strange to him, seeing her in the moonlight with no one around, completely vulnerable, without a care in the world… _why should she get to have such a peaceful moment._

It’s not fair, why does this human get to have such peace when he’s left with… with such _chaos._ It was humans like her that locked them down there, a human like her that ruined what peace they had after the barrier went up. Why does she get to look so _happy,_ what has she done to deserve such a good life and what did he do to end up with such a shit one!

All those years, the monsters were stuck in _hell_ and what was she doing? Baking fucking cookies and watching the stars come out? How the hell is that fair, why would Paps think this human is so great when she did _nothing_ to help them when they really needed it. Does she think letting them crash at her place could POSSIBLY make up for all the years they spent starving? If she’s so great then why didn’t she come to save them? Why did ~~she~~ _they_ hurt them over, and over, and over again! _Their_ hands are covered in dust, _they_ killed them, _they..._ _they_ left them behind and it’s all _their fault._

“Sans? Are you alright, did you need something?”

… What is he doing, what was he just thinking? He pulls his hand away from his eye socket, damn, he was tugging on it again. He looks up at the human and tries to put on his best poker face, “ ‘m fine, paps is lookin’ for ya. thinks yer playin’ hide and seek ‘r some shit.”

“Oh, sorry no I just wanted some fresh air. It’s a beautiful night and I like to take advantage of these as often as I can…” She turns to look at the sky again with a small smile on her face, “You never know how many of these you get.”

It’s quiet for a few moments before she turns to him again, “Sans can I ask you a question?”

Depends on what kind of question she has in mind; he chooses not to respond.

“Did I do something to offend you?” She looks down nervously, “That day you saved me in the alley, I tried to thank you but you wouldn’t speak to me. Then you just up and vanished and now you’ve barely said two sentences to me, you always give me these looks like I’ve done something to you and if I have, I’m sorry. I really do appreciate that you stepped in to help me and if I’ve said or done anything wrong here, I really didn’t mean it.”

…. What the hell kind of game is she playing? _She’s_ apologizing to _him?_ Is she trying to play the good guy here, make him look like the asshole so she comes out shining like a damn diamond? Make Paps think she tried everything she could to be friends with his brother, but _noooo,_ that damaged monster wouldn’t return her sentiment. No way is she getting the upper hand here, she wants to play the good guy, pretend to be all buddy-buddy with him just so she can impress Paps, he’ll show her.

“look, ya ain’t done nothin’ personal, i jus don’ know you. didn’ mean to come off as rude, ‘m jus not much of a ‘conversationalist’” He finger quotes.

She blinks at him, “O-oh, well that’s good to know, obviously not the conversationalist part but the fact that I didn’t offend you is reassuring and I clearly didn’t take it too well so maybe it’s just my fault for overthinking but I really felt like you didn’t like me and that would be a problem for Papyrus and I’m rambling aren’t I?” She rushes through the sentence in one breath, impressive, “Oh! Papyrus is looking for me, isn’t he? Didn’t you say he thought I was playing hide and seek? I should get in there before he turns the house upside down looking for me.”

She grabs her glass and stands up, “I’m happy to know I didn’t do anything wrong, hopefully we can get to know each other a little better now that you’re staying here.”

_Sure_ you didn’t do anything wrong, no you just waltz into their lives, try to play hero, and demand he get a job without knowing _anything,_ like you’re all high and mighty. But most importantly you’re just _trying to take his brother._ Grateful that he saved you? Well actions speak louder than words and he plans on watching yours veryclosely. 

“yea sure.” He shortcuts inside before she has the chance to say anything else, he’s not going to let her win.

*****

“SANS I CAN’T FIND THE HUMAN ANYWHERE! SHE MUST BE THE ULTIMATE CHAMPION OF HIDE-AND-SEEK FOR SHE HAS BESTED I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He puts his hand to his chin in contemplation, “ALTHOUGH THERE _WAS_ A SUSPICIOUSLY LOCKED DOOR, PERHAPS SHE’S HIDING IN THERE.”

“found ‘er” Sans chuckles as you walk in the door.

Papyrus’ jaw drops, “YOU WERE OUTSIDE!? Well that hardly seems fair,” he crosses his arms and pouts, “I’VE BEEN SEARCHING ALL OVER FOR YOU, SANS HOW DID YOU KNOW?”

“well bro, guess you could say i’m a _bone-a-fide_ tracker” he says with a wink, causing you to let out a small, involuntary giggle.

“NOOOO! DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM Y/N, HE’LL NEVER STOP!”

“ah but paps, i jus’ figured out how to tickle her _funny bone_ ” you have to cover your mouth to try and stop the giggles.

“SAAAANNNS ENOUGH! THIS IS OUR FIRST SLEEP-OVER WITH Y/N! I DON’T WANT TO SPEND IT LISTENING TO YOUR HORRIBLE PUNS!”

“i dunno bro, _tibia_ -honest it just seems like yer _skull-_ king.” oh no, you snorted! Sans eyelight fixes on you and he looks thoroughly pleased with himself. “c’mon paps, yer smilin’.”

“I AM AND I HATE IT! YOUR JOKES AREN’T EVEN THAT….. _HUMEROUS!_ NYEHEHE!”

Oh no, now Papyrus is joining in! Your sides are aching from all the laughs, you’re trying to catch your breath, but it’s been so long since you’ve heard such ridiculous jokes that it’s hard to reel in the amusement. Death by puns, is that a thing?

“Okay… _*giggle*_ okay, okay! Enough, I can’t take… anymore puns tonight… you two are way… too much for me to handle right now” you manage to get out between gasps. “ _Phew_! Papyrus, I wasn’t playing hide and seek, I was just sitting on the porch while you two finished up in here. Why were you looking for me?”

“AH YES! I NEARLY FORGOT, WELL CONSIDERING THIS IS OUR FIRST EVENING TOGETHER AS ROOMMATES, I THOUGHT WE COULD CELEBRATE THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION WITH A FEW GAMES, PUZZLES, AND MOVIES!”

You look to the clock, “Well Papyrus it’s pretty late? We do still have work in the morning so I don’t know if we should spend the whole night playing. Maybe we could do one of those things tonight, and some others tomorrow?”

He considers this for a moment, then says in a somewhat deflated tone “YES, YES I DO SUPPOSE YOU’RE RIGHT. WELL CONSIDERING WE JUST PLAYED A ONE-SIDED GAME OF HIDE-AND-SEEK, HOW ABOUT WE FORGO THE MOVIE FOR NOW AND INSTEAD DO A PUZZLE!”

“That sounds great, one puzzle and then bed-time!”

“FANTASTIC! YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THE PUZZLES I BROUGHT WITH ME, THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY MIND BOGGLING!” He runs off to his room to presumably grab the puzzle.

This isn’t too bad, you think. You’re relieved to have cleared the air with Sans, and tonight you finally feel like you witnessed a part of the brother that Papyrus has boasted so much about. If this keeps up, maybe having the skeleton brothers here could even be fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it's crossed my mind that I may want to try my hand at smut later on. emphasis on later! 
> 
> But I've never done it before so if I do, I can't promise how the results turn out! (AmyScarlet would of course hopefully be helping me edit it, so I won't just throw some cringey scene at you lol) I just wanted to check in with you lovely readers to get your opinions because if I do end up writing in the smutty-times, I want to change the tags/rating early so I don't mislead anyone or anything. 
> 
> If majority votes smut and you don't want it, then fear not! it wouldn't be crucial to the plot, so I could give plenty of warning and it would be completely skippable if you're not into that sort of thing! 
> 
> So toss your votes into the comment section! Yes/No/Maybe So!? :) 
> 
> And thank you for reading!!! <3


	13. Bonus Chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fun puzzle chapter as my thank you for over 250 kudos!!
> 
> Disclosure: This has not been previewed or edited by AmyScarlet, as it is just a fun chapter I threw together in my excitement :)
> 
> Thank you as always for the love you've given this story <3

_*tap tap tap tap*_

You’re tapping your fingers impatiently on the couch while waiting for Papyrus to finish setting up his puzzle outside. When you told him that you could do one puzzle before bed, you hadn’t expected him to take quite this long!

You take a peek at Sans next to you, he appears to be sleeping but after that last incident, you don’t want to be caught staring again, “Hey uh, Sans? Are you awake?”

He cracks an eyesocket open and looks at you, “hm?”

“Well, I was just wondering if you knew how long this might take? If it’s taking him this long to set it up, how long could it take to finish it??”

You see him crack a smile and you aren’t sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but before he answers you, the front door swings open and Papyrus barges in.

“Y/N! THE PUZZLE IS COMPLETE, PLEASE COME OUTSIDE NOW NYEHEHE!” He says before running back out the door.

You give Sans a wary look before he disappears with a wink and you’re left on your own to venture outside. What you see has you completely flabbergasted.

Papyrus has somehow turned your yard into a giant obstacle course covered in… is that _snow!?_ Bending over to touch it, you realize it’s definitely not some fake powder that resembles snow, this is _real snow._

“What in the world is this? How is there snow right now, it’s almost 80 degrees!?” You ask in disbelief. Looking up you see Sans has appeared next to Papyrus and he’s giving you a very cat-that-ate-the-canary grin, what’s that all about?

Wiggling his phalanges at you, Sans says, “mmmmaaagggiicc.”

“INDEED, THE SNOW HERE IS SUSTAINED BY MAGIC, I’M SORRY TO THROW OFF YOUR SEASONS Y/N BUT I’M ACCUSTOMED TO BUILDING MY PUZZLES IN A MORE…. FROZEN TERRAIN. NOW, ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN?”

Looking around, you can see a few things that are concerning such as the large patch of ice with glowing green bone spikes surrounding it. _Ouch._

“Can you uh… explain what I need to do please? This looks a little…. Dangerous.”

“OF COURSE, I ASSURE YOU IT MAY SEEM DANGEROUS BUT EVERYTHING I’VE SET UP IS COMPLETELY SAFE, NO HARM WILL COME TO YOU ON MY WATCH! FIRST, YOU’LL START WITH A SIMPLE SHAPE SHIFTING PUZZLE IN WHICH THE GOAL IS TO HAVE A COMPLETE SERIES OF O’S, I HAVE ARRANGED THIS ONE IN THE SHAPE OF A CUPCAKE FOR OBVIOUS REASONS,” He says so proudly you can’t help but smile, but you wonder what he means by shape shifting?

“NEXT, YOU’LL NEED TO TEST YOUR BALANCE AND WIT WITH YET ANOTHER SHAPE SHIFTING PUZZLE… ON ICE!!! NYEHEHE! NOW, YOU MAY BE ASKING YOURSELF, ‘WHAT IF I’M NOT BALANCED ENOUGH, WHAT SHALL I DO IF I SLIDE OFF THE PATH INTO THOSE VERY SHARP LOOKING BONES!’ WELL Y/N, I CAN NOT REVEAL TO YOU THE ANSWER, IT IS SOMETHING YOU MUST DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF HEHE NYEH!” You stare open-mouthed at Papyrus, is he really going to let you impale yourself on bones!? Surely not… he did say that the puzzles are harmless, right?

“FINALLY, WE HAVE A SURPRISE CHALLENGE THAT I YET AGAIN CAN NOT GIVE ANY INFORMATION ON. HOWEVER, SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF STUMPED AT ANY POINT, I WILL OFFER YOU THREE HINTS! BUT ONLY THREE, SO USE THEM WISELY NYEHEH!”

You blink in disbelief, he… really didn’t tell you _anything_. With a raised eyebrow you say “Papyrus, I thought we had agreed to only _one_ puzzle?” 

Sweat forming on his browbone and eyes looking everywhere but at you, Papyrus answers, “UHM YES WE DID BUT YOU SEE THIS _IS_ ONE PUZZLE, technically… EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED AFTER ALL!”

With one last skeptical look, you eventually cave in and decide to play along this once. Walking up to the ‘shape shifting puzzle’, you look around. You see a series of blue X’s in the ground surrounded by piles of snow that look a little too high for you to climb over. The snow piles are a bit too high for you to make out the cupcake shape Papyrus had mentioned, but you imagine he has no problem seeing it from his height.

Walking over to the first blue X to investigate, you bend down and place a hand on it. As your fingers connect to the cold letter, it suddenly shifts to a red O, making you jump back slightly. Ah, so _that’s_ what shape shifting means. Touching the letter again, it turns into a green triangle. Didn’t he want O’s? Tapping it one more time you see it turn back into a blue X, okay simple enough.

Looking around you try and map out the best way to do this before making your way through the snow-pile-lined paths. It only takes you two tries to get all of the shapes switched into red O’s, and you look around for a clue as to what to do next. Looking up at Papyrus, he shifts his eyelights to a small button on the ground that you hadn’t noticed before. Stepping on the button, all of the O’s shift to bright green and you hear a small click as the bones on one side of the ice puzzle disappear to allow you through.

Making your way slowly to the edge of the ice patch, you notice more blue X’s that are situated in small piles of snow and try to figure out how you’re going to flip these ones.

“Oh jeez… what did I get myself into.” You mutter sullenly. Putting a shaky foot onto the ice, you immediately slide halfway across the large patch, screaming until you stop with a _thump_ on a small pile of snow.

“pfffttt heheheeheh.” You hear Sans laughing behind you. Shooting a glare his way, you stand up on the snow mound and see that your X has shifted to an O. Looking around, you try to decide where you need to slide next before slowly stepping onto the ice again.

This time, you’re slightly more prepared so you don’t scream, however you do internally pray you hit the snow mound and not those menacingly sharp bones. Successfully landing in the snow, you give yourself a pat on the back for surviving yet another perilous slide and look for your next target.

This one is set a little farther away and isn’t directly in front of you, but it’s your only option so you brace yourself for another slide. The only problem is that when you step off the snow mound you can’t seem to angle yourself in the direction you need to go, so you start sliding directly for the bones!

Screaming, you yell, “Papyrus!! Oh my god help me!!” Trying to grasp onto anything around you and failing, you slide closer and closer to the pointed bones. Closing your eyes, you say a silent prayer before finding that you’ve come to a stop.

Slowly opening your eyes, you see that the bones have disappeared from the area you slid through, now you’re on the other side of the ice patch completely unharmed. Standing up, you look around and try to figure out what happened, while listening to Sans snicker on the other side.

Stepping away from the ice patch, you look to Papyrus in confusion, he simply smiles and says “NYEHEHE I’VE FOOLED YOU Y/N!! THOSE BONES ARE _HEALING_ BONES!! WHEN YOU TOUCH THEM, THEY HEAL YOU WITH GREEN MAGIC!”

Reaching your hand out to touch them, you find that he’s telling the truth, the green bones glow brighter and seem to dissolve into your skin! _Phew,_ you thought you were a goner!

“Well that is something _extremely_ cool that you need to explain later!” You smile to Papyrus, you’d heard of healing magic but you’ve never seen it in action. Of course, this probably isn’t the best time for a magic lesson!

Now that you know the bones can’t hurt you, this puzzle doesn’t seem so bad, just a little slippery! Knowing that there is no immediate danger, you start sliding across the ice again and manage to finish this puzzle in only one try. Pressing the button at the end, you move on to the final section and look around.

“Uhm, Papyrus, I don’t see anything?” You say in confusion.

“LOOK HARDER Y/N! NYEH HEH!” He says through barely contained giggles. Sans is next to him with that same grin on his face and you wonder what in the world you should be seeing.

Looking around, you finally see a very small snow… labyrinth? Is the best word you can use to describe it. It appears as if Papyrus has made a small trail in the snow, but it’s hardly big enough for a mouse to walk through so you aren’t sure what you’re supposed to do about it.

Checking the area to make sure you hadn’t missed anything else, you notice a piece of paper in the distance so you start walking towards it, however, a few steps from the tiny labyrinth your feet suddenly drop from under you and you find yourself in a small hole with leaves for padding.

It wasn’t a large drop, when you stand up the hole comes to about your waist so it’s easy to climb out of but was still shocking nonetheless. Looking back to Papyrus you see he is smiling again while Sans is still snickering at your expense.

Giving an undignified huff, you scan the area that leads to the paper, if there was one hole then you’re willing to bet there may be others. Trying figure out how you can avoid them, an idea pops into your head, the tiny labyrinth! Papyrus wouldn’t put it there for no reason, so you step back to examine the snow structure and try to lay out the path in your head.

Satisfied that you’ve figured it out, you start walking carefully in the directions you think are correct. You do great up until the very end when you turn left instead of right and end up falling into another hole. Brushing yourself off though you climb out and successfully make it to the paper, which you find is actually a children’s word search.

“CONGRATULATIONS Y/N! YOU HAVE MADE IT TO THE END OF MY NOT-SO-PERILOUS PUZZLES! NYEHEHE!”

Holding up the word search you ask, “Uhm, what’s this?”

“IT’S A _*AHEM*_ JUNIOR JUMBLE… SANS INSISTED WE FINISH OUT TODAY’S PUZZLES WITH IT AND WHILE I BELIEVE IT IS A RATHER LACKLUSTER FINALE, especially compared with the exciting puzzles that _I_ put together, I HAVE ALLOWED IT.”

You look at Sans and he shrugs, “heh, what can i say, i didn’t exactly put my _heart_ into it.”

“Wow, that was weak Sans.” You giggle. “Hey, is there any chance I could do this inside? I wasn’t exactly dressed for snowy weather today so I’m a little cold now.” It’s true, you were simply dressed in jeans and a t-shirt today so playing in the snow has left your skin feeling a little numb.

“OF COURSE! YOU DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE TO FINISH THAT POOR EXCUSE OF A PUZZLE Y/N, MY LAZYBONES BROTHER WILL HAVE TO PUT A LITTLE MORE EFFORT INTO HIS NEXT IDEA IF HE WANTS ANYONE TO BE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT HIS WORK! DID YOU HAVE FUN THOUGH?” He says with wide eyes, _jeez_ he looks like a puppy!

“Yea it was… definitely exciting!” You say as Papyrus jumps for joy, _he’s too adorable._

The three of you turn in for the night and you decide to take the word search with you to bed. You manage to find all of the words easily, but there’s one that just looks like a random arrangement of letters and when you finally find it in the search, you’re horrified to discover that it’s been misspelled!

You curse Sans for making you waste your time on this ridiculous search, and vow to get him back _somehow._


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> minor gore and cannibalism mentioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to my wonderful beta, AmyScarlet.
> 
> She does an awesome job at keeping me in check and dropping great ideas ^3^

_“Mom, I’ve got another batch of the blueberries ready here!”_

_“Great sweetheart, just set them anywhere, should be another volunteer stopping by to grab them soon.”_

_You set the tray of muffins down on the make-shift counter. So many mouths to feed, you’re glad you decided to help out your parents today. The volunteers have been swamped the past few days with… with what? You turn around to ask your mom what you were doing there, but she’s gone._

_Everything’s going dark, where did everyone go? What was it you were just doing… passing out… muffins? Why is everything so cold, why aren’t you moving?_

_“Mom, Dad?” You shout into the darkness, “Where are you guys? Can anybody hear me!”_

_Don’t panic, it’s okay they'll be back, they wouldn’t leave you alone. Why aren’t your legs working? You need to move, you need to find a light, there has to be something here._

_“Hello? Hellooo!” This isn’t right, it’s too dark, too cold, “Somebody please answer me!”_

_You’re falling, why are you falling, someone please help! Why isn’t anyone helping you? Where did they all go! They couldn’t just leave you behind, this is a mistake, someone will catch you, someone will come!_

_‘But nobody came’ rang through your head like a bell._

_Tears are streaming down your face as you fall, you aren’t ready yet, there’s still so much to do, so much to say…_

_Wait… lights…. There are lights up ahead! You aren’t falling, you’re flying! You’re heading straight for those bright lights, you know what they are, those lights feel like home!_

_You open your mouth to say---_

*****

Your alarm blares and you shoot up from the bed, sweat dripping down your brow and heart racing. You’re gasping for breath, so you try and calm yourself down. You reach over and silence the alarm, taking deep breaths to try and slow down your racing heart. What _was_ that just now, a nightmare? It’s a little fuzzy now that your eyes are open, but the feelings remain.

That’s the last time you stay up late doing puzzles, you think. It’s been awhile since your last nightmare and it’s odd, typically you can remember bits and pieces of your dreams, but all you have this time is the overwhelming feeling of loss. It must have been about your family, packing up that room was a big step so it’s no surprise you would dream about them afterwards.

Well you’re awake now, and it’s time to get ready for work. You grab an outfit for the day and head towards the bathroom, but when you open your bedroom door you’re met with an excited Papyrus.

Looking up, you say, “Uhm, good morning Papyrus. Did you need something?”

“NOT AT ALL! I JUST WANTED TO BE THE FIRST TO GREET YOU ON THIS STUPENDOUS DAY! I’VE MADE BREAKFAST FOR US, COME EAT BEFORE IT GETS COLD!”

You smile up at him, he’s got so much energy, even this early in the morning! Your shower can wait, whatever he’s made smells fabulous. You follow him to the kitchen and are greeted with the sweet smell of waffles. He’s got a beautiful arrangement of fresh fruit, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and various other toppings spread across the table with a stack of large fluffy Belgian waffles at the center.

“Oh wow Papyrus! This looks amazing, but there’s so much.”

“AH YES, I WASN’T SURE WHAT YOUR FAVORITE TOPPING WAS, SO I USED THEM ALL!” He says proudly.

“Well that was very kind of you, I can’t wait to try them!” The two of you sit down and your stomach growls at the array of food before you. You help yourself to a waffle with all of your favorite toppings and once you're satisfied, you take the first bite.

The flavors explode on your tongue, literally! It’s similar to the sensation of eating pop rocks, and your brain is having trouble comprehending how a waffle can crackle like this. You’d think after all the magical foods you’ve been eating, you would be used to the strange textures that accompany the varying ingredients, but each new dish is a new experience.

“It’s like pop rocks,” you exclaim, “each bite is crackling on my tongue, and it tastes delicious!”

“NYEHEHE OF COURSE IT DOES! I WANTED TO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESS OF OUR FIRST NIGHT TOGETHER WITH SOMETHING SPECIAL, AND FIREWORKS ARE USED AT THE BEST OF CELEBRATIONS SO IT ONLY MADE SENSE TO USE THEM HERE. I LIKE TO THINK OF IT AS A ‘PARTY IN YOUR MOUTH’ “ He beams at you.

You giggle at him, “Well it certainly feels that way. Thank you again for breakfast Papyrus. I’ll try and return the favor tomorrow! By the way, how did you sleep last night? I know staying in a new place can be difficult at first.”

“OH NOT AT ALL, I’M USED TO MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE SO THAT’S NEVER BEEN A BOTHER FOR ME. IT WAS RATHER PEACEFUL ACTUALLY, WITHOUT DISRUPTIVE NEIGHBORS AND THIN WALLS, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR TAKING MY BROTHER AND I IN.

He’s used to moving around? Has life on the surface been that bad for these two that they had to jump from place to place?

“Well I’m glad you slept well, I’ve never lived in an apartment but I can imagine it being… noisy.”

“IT CERTAINLY IS! DESPITE MY LACK OF EARS YOU’D BE SURPRISED WHAT ONE CAN HEAR WHEN THE WALLS ARE NO THICKER THAN A SHEET OF PAPER!” He says with a shudder. "I'M TREMENDOUSLY GRATEFUL FOR THE THICK, STURDY WALLS YOU SEEM TO HAVE HERE!"

“Well my great grandfather built this place and put a little more care into it than they put into those apartment buildings. By the way, you know you two are welcome to stay here as long as you need to? I wouldn’t want you to just jump on the first place available if it means more paper thin walls.”

“I TRULY APPRECIATE THAT Y/N.”

Giving him a smile and finishing your waffle, you stand from the table, “Breakfast was delicious, I have to go get ready for work and then we can head out together.”

“OF COURSE, NO TIME TO DILLY-DALLY. I’LL GET THIS CLEANED UP!”

He’s turning out to be a great roommate! You wonder how many more mornings like this there will be before the brothers find a more permanent residence

*****

When Sans wakes up, his brother and the human have already left for work. He heads to the kitchen to see what there is to eat and finds a plate of waffles with a note for him.

‘SANS, I’VE MADE YOU A PLATE FOR BREAKFAST SO MAKE SURE YOU EAT! AND TRY NOT TO BE A LAZYBONES TODAY, I’M SURE YOU CAN THINK OF SOMETHING TO DO THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE SITTING ON THE COUCH.’

Sans smiles, his bro is so cool. Grabbing the back of a chair in one hand and his waffles in the other, he makes his way to the living room and sets himself up in front of the tv, _Paps didn't say anything about chairs after all_. Turning on the television, he flips through the channels until he lands on a broadcast hosted by none other than Mettaton. 

‘---HAS BEEN SEEN PERUSING THE GARDENS AGAIN, THE POOR DEAR IS STILL IN MOURNING OVER A LOVE LOST LONG AGO, WHAT A TRAGIC STORY MY DARLINGS.’ 

_*click_ * Nope. He’s not in the mood for gossip today so he flips through a few channels until he lands on a comedy, _perfect._ Happily eating his waffles while watching the show, he’s oblivious to the set of eyes watching him from beside the couch. The eyes lock onto every bite of food he takes, watching as he lifts his fork from the plate to his mouth, saliva pooling in its maw before finally revealing itself to him. 

Sans sees movement out of the corner of his eye socket, looking down he sees that Daisy has crawled out from beside the couch and is sitting there, staring up at him with her best puppy dog eyes, begging him for a bite of food.

“hey pup, i dunno if you want this. it might not _sit_ well hehe.” Daisy continues to stare at his plate. “yer not gonna give up are ya? well can’t say i blame ya, hunger’s a powerful thing huh. well ya can’t have this but i’ll see what else i can get ya.”

Standing up he heads to the kitchen and starts poking around in the cabinets. Surely the human’s got some kind of treats for her pup in here somewhere.

“aha!” he exclaims, pulling out a box of dog treats. He opens the box and is met with the strong scent of dried meat, his eye-light dilates to a pinprick and suddenly he’s not in the kitchen anymore, he’s in his shed.

He needs to get this meat cut up and distributed somehow, the monsters out there are starving and this is the only option. Looking down at the corpse, he can feel his magic start to churn, he’s going to be sick. What has he done? Can he really do this, cut up a human and feed it to his friends? He has to… they haven’t eaten in _so long_ , there are monsters out there dusting every day and there are no other options. Queen Undick isn’t doing anything, if the monsters can’t get something to eat then they’ll never make it out of this stars forsaken prison.

Is there even any hope for that? It’s been so long… should they even _try_ to keep going? All he knows, is his brother is hungry and if he doesn’t do something about it soon, Paps might dust. If this is what it takes, he’ll do what he needs to. Picking up a meat cleaver, he raises it above his head and--- 

_*Bark Bark BARK*_

Sans abruptly halts his movements, he blinks a few times and the kitchen comes back into focus. He’s tugging his eye socket again and holding a meat cleaver in his hand. _W_ _here_ _did he even get that from?_ Daisy is barking at him, he looks down at her and she slowly stops. Removing his phalanges from his eye socket, he places the meat cleaver on the counter. 

Looking down at the pup he notices she isn’t scared of him, “ya don’ have much survival instincts do ya pup? i coulda chopped you in half and ya jus stood there yapping.”

She approaches him slowly and sits at his feet, so he squats down to be closer to her level.

“ain’t smart to yell at someone holdin a weapon at cha. s’gonna get ya killed one o these days pup.” She nuzzles her head under his hand and starts licking his phalanges. When he cracks a smile at this, she takes it as an invitation to jump on him. Knocking him on his tailbone and leaving him vulnerable to numerous licks to the skull, all while being surprisingly careful to avoid the gaping hole in his head, an act he's extremely grateful for. 

“hehehe stop that ya crazy mutt!” he laughs at her but makes no move to stop her actions. Truth be told he’s loving the affection she’s showing him, crazy how an animal can be so comfortable with a monster that looks as scary as he does. (Must have something to do with being made of bones...probably.) 

“a’right a’right, i yield, you win pup, thanks fer snappin me outta that mess there. ya still want that treat don’t ya?” He looks up to the counter, pushing Daisy off his lap he stands up and eyes the bag of treats. He can do this, it’s just a bag of dog treats, probably not even real meat, just something snazzed up to smell like it. No big deal, he’s just gotta… well it wouldn’t hurt to buy some new ones, right? He can just pop over to the pet store and buy those bone shaped snacks, she might like those.

“i’ll be right back pup, ‘m just gonna go pick ya up something different.” 

He shortcuts to the pet store in a few jumps, it’s been so nice having that ability again. After the injury he wasn’t sure his magic would ever stabilize, he didn’t realize how much he relied on it until he spent all those years without it. It’s been one of the few blessings he’s had since coming to the surface.

Walking into the pet store he heads towards the treats but is stopped by a sudden paw on his shoulder, “Sans? Is that you?”

He turns around to find Dogaressa standing behind him… Great.

“uh, hey buddy. howsit goin’?”

Tail wagging excitedly behind her, she says rather quickly, "I knew I recognized that smell, how are you doing? Where have you been, we haven’t seen you at Grillby’s since we came to the surface. Everyone misses you, it’s just not the same without our bone-a-fide buddy there!” 

Sans starts to sweat, he doesn’t want to get into this with her right now, “yea i’ve been pretty busy, ya know how it is.”

“Oh yea? What are you doing these days?”

Sans internally sighs, Dogaressa clearly isn’t going to leave him be, “well, me n paps just moved to this nice place outside the city, the humans ain’t so friendly where we were staying so we bolted.”

Nodding her head she responds, “Yes I can understand that, the first place Dogamy and I moved into had a few problems, but we’re doing great now! I’m actually here buying him a new collar for our anniversary.” She proudly presents a leather collar embedded with silver studs that spell out 'stud muffin'.

“...oh yea? ...‘m happy for ya pal.” _Well this is extremely awkward, please can he go now?_

“You should stop by and fetch some grub sometime soon Sans! I know Grillby sure misses you and you know there’s always a seat open for you at our table.” She said with just the barest hint of a whine in her voice.

“yea yea sounds great but look i’ve got a friend waitin on some treats so i should get goin.” _Take the hint, he doesn’t want to be here right now._

“Oh of course… yea you should go I guess I did sorta pull you out of your day.” Her ears and tail droop down in dejection, “but seriously, it was nice seeing you Sans. I hope you stop by the bar soon, we all miss you.”

How could any of them miss him after what he did? He just nods his head to Dogaressa, grabs the dog treats and bolts as fast as he can. He shortcuts directly to the couch, surprising Daisy who had been laying on the floor nearby. 

“heh sorry to make ya wait girl, here’s that treat i promised.” He opens the box and tosses her a treat which she happily catches and starts munching away. Slumping down in the couch, Sans starts to let his mind wander.

Why does everyone keep insisting that Grillby misses him? After he found out what it was Sans had convinced him to serve, he nearly roasted him alive! Sans hadn’t been back to the bar since, instead he sent Paps to start distributing the meat to whoever would take it. At least they all liked Paps, he could find a way to spin it so that what they were eating didn’t seem as bad, but Sans was the one doing all the killing, he was the sick one. Paps was just handing out free meals, at that point they were already dead so nobody would complain, but Sans was the one _murdering_ them, it was _his_ idea to eat the humans.

But what else was he supposed to do? They were already eating the dust of fallen monsters! They were all desperate, and dying, and he just wanted it to _stop---_

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by Daisy again, who had jumped on the couch and started licking his skull. He pushes her back a bit to stop the barrage of tongue attacks and pats her head gently.

Smiling at her, he says “thanks girl. you some kind of therapy dog? ya sure know when ta snap me outta some dark thoughts.” She lays her head on his lap and watches him.

Still petting her, he lays his skull on the back of the couch and starts to think. He doesn’t want to think about Grillby’s right now so his mind starts to wander to what sort of jobs he could do up here. There’s no way in hell he’s going to work beside Alphys up at the labs and even if he wanted to, he lost most of those memories when Undick put the hole in his head. There’s no need for a sentry up here on the surface, closest thing is probably a cop and there’s no way someone like him would be put on the force. Not like he’d want to anyways, it sounds like too much work.

Maybe… maybe he could get a hot dog cart going again? Paps would be happy he’s working, it would get the human off his back, and let’s face it, who’s going to buy a hot dog from someone that looks like he does? He could sleep the whole time! 

Sans smiles, _yea this could work_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poll results are in and majority rules, 'let there be smut'!
> 
> So I'm changing the rating to M, but any smut I include later should be completely skippable :)
> 
> Thanks everyone for continuing to read!! <3
> 
> Edited to ask everyone what your favorite waffle toppings are! Drop the answers in the comments below


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beautiful beta AmyScarlet, who sends me funny undertale memes and keeps my head on straight, I'm sorry you have to deal with my scatterbrain 
> 
> ^3^

It’s been a pretty steady day; you’ve got a few orders that need to be delivered this afternoon, so you and Papyrus have been working on those for most of the morning. The two of you are rolling out dough for the pies you have to bake, and you find your thoughts drifting to the mysterious item you found yesterday. Where did it come from? What exactly is it, and why didn’t you want anyone seeing it yet?

“Papyrus can I ask you a question about the dimensional box?”

“WHY OF COURSE, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW?”

How to word this without him knowing you found an item. “Well I was just curious, you said that you could only see your own items in the box, has there ever been a situation where you could see someone else’s items? Or something you didn’t actually place in the box yourself?”

He looks at you quizzically, “WELL IF SOMEONE WERE TO… PASS ON, THEN THEIR BOXED ITEMS WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THEIR NEXT OF KIN. OR, AS I STATED BEFORE, SOMEONE CAN PLACE AN ITEM IN THE BOX THAT IS INTENDED FOR ANOTHER, THOSE ITEMS YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE.”

“Oh that’s right, I completely forgot you had mentioned giving items to someone else! Sorry…” You say sheepishly, “Could you maybe tell me more about items left by others? When someone leaves a gift for you, do they typically leave a name or a card, so you know who it’s from? And if they didn’t then how would you know who to thank?”

He thinks about this for a moment, “WELL I SUPPOSE ANY TIME I’VE BEEN GIVEN A GIFT THROUGH THE BOX, THERE HAS BEEN SOME FORM OF IDENTIFICATION LEFT ON IT. BUT I HAVE HEARD OF MONSTERS LEAVING ITEMS THAT COULD BE USEFUL TO OTHERS, WITHOUT TAKING CREDIT. THEY SIMPLY THINK THE OTHER PERSON COULD USE IT MORE THAN THEM, AND DON’T NEED TO BE SHOWERED WITH GRATITUDE FOR SIMPLY OFFLOADING AN ITEM THEY’VE DEEMED UNNECESSARY FOR THEMSELVES.”

So, this ‘mysterious item’ could just be something that a monster thought you might need? You suppose there have been quite a few monsters through the bakery since you hired Papyrus, maybe one of them left the item for you. But it doesn’t explain the name, all of the items you placed in the box were aptly named for what you knew they were, the dresser, rocking chair, even the boxes full of photos were simply named _*boxes of family photos_ , so why was this item not?

“So, if someone were to place an item for another person into the box, would it be named for what it is? I noticed that my items were named pretty accurately, but if you didn’t know what the item was then what would it be called?”

“I BELIEVE THAT DEPENDS ON THE ITEM, SOME ITEMS ARE EASIER TO IDENTIFY SO WHEN YOUR SOUL SEES IT, IT CAN BE NAMED APPROPRIATELY, BUT IF AN ITEM HAS A USE THAT YOUR SOUL IS UNAWARE OF, THEN IT MAY BE A LITTLE HARDER TO NAME. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WERE GIVEN A KEY AND YOU HAD NO IDEA WHAT LOCK IT WAS MADE FOR, IT MAY BE IDENTIFIED AS ‘MYSTERIOUS KEY’.”

Interesting, so because your soul couldn’t identify the item, it labeled it as 'mysterious item'. That makes sense… wait, your soul?

“I’m sorry, did you say my _soul_ sees it?”

“WHY YES, THE MAGIC OF THE BOX PROJECTS ITEM DESCRIPTIONS ACROSS YOUR SOUL, HOW ELSE WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING IN THERE?”

You’re completely baffled, “Well I guess I don’t know. It does explain some things though, I wasn’t really sure how I was _seeing_ words, I mean, I knew that souls were more than just a figure of speech, but I didn’t think they could do something so amazing.”

“OF COURSE THEY CAN! OUR SOULS ARE THE CORE OF OUR VERY BEING, THEY CAN DO MUCH MORE THAN SIMPLY IDENTIFY ITEMS. IN AN ENCOUNTER THEY CAN BE USED TO REVEAL YOUR TRUE FEELINGS, IT’S MUCH SIMPLER THAN HAVING TO GUESS WHAT THE OTHER PERSON IS THINKING AND THIS CAN CLEAR UP ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS THAT MAY HAVE ARISEN FROM THE ENCOUNTER. THERE ARE OTHER THINGS A SOUL CAN DO BUT _*AHEM*_ Those are a bit personal for this conversation.” He says in a mischievous whisper.

Incredible, you’re kicking yourself for not learning more about the monsters when they came to the surface, all this information feels significant and you hate asking Papyrus questions that you should probably know already. Maybe you’ll go to the library soon and see what information you can learn about souls, if they really do play such a major role in everyone’s lives, then you should know at least _some_ of the things they can do.

“Thanks Papyrus, I do have just one more question though, I noticed my items had descriptions along with the names, and some of them were pretty… invasive,” _*Two lovers celebrating their union,_ comes to mind, a description you saw under one of the videos your mother never let you watch, “I’m not sure that I would have described them quite the way they were, so how does that work? And I’m sorry for asking so many questions, I just didn’t know who else to talk to.”

“THINK NOTHING OF IT, I AM A PROVERBIAL FOUNTAIN OF KNOWLEDGE AFTER ALL, NYEHEH! THOSE DESCRIPTIONS YOU SPEAK OF ARE ACTUALLY TAKEN FROM THE INTENT ABSORBED BY THE ITEMS, WHEN AN ITEM IS MADE OR USED BY SOMEONE, THEIR INTENTIONS FOR THE ITEMS CAN BE TRANSFERRED, SO IF IT’S AN ITEM THAT DIDN’T BELONG TO YOU, THEN WHATEVER INTENTIONS THE PREVIOUS USER HAD CAN BE READ. Then again there are some items that seem to have an innate sense of humor." He mumbles under his breath. 

_*Filled with good intentions, hope for a better future, and DETERMINATION._ Well if that’s the case then it certainly doesn’t sound like anything you should be concerned about. You’ll just have to take a closer look at it tonight to see if you can figure out what it’s for.

“Y/N, YOU DIDN’T HAPPEN TO FIND ANYTHING IN THE BOX, DID YOU?”

Shoot! He’s on to you… why is it such a big deal that you keep this item to yourself? Wouldn’t it make sense to ask a monster what the item could possibly be? Maybe Papyrus could help you figure out who left it for you, and what you’re supposed to do with it…

No… something is telling you that now is not the right time. You need to do this on your own, “No of course not! It was just so fascinating that I found myself with a million questions regarding how in the world it works!” _Please, please believe me._

He squints his eyesockets at you momentarily, before assuming his characteristic smile, “WELL A HEALTHY DOSE OF CURIOUSITY DOES KEEP THE MIND SHARP!” 

“That’s true, thanks for humoring me Papyrus,” You smile up at him, “Now let’s get these orders taken care of!”

“YES MA’AM!”

*****

In the following days, you and your two skeleton roommates have fallen into a very nice routine, you and Papyrus have breakfast together in the mornings, go to work, come home to do one of the many activities that he has on hand, have dinner and repeat. Sometimes Sans even seems to tolerate you and joins in during most of the evening activities (Even if it is to just sleep in the vicinity). Occasionally, after your deliveries are finished, you’ll stop at the gardens and get a nice cream to eat while you explore the area. Sometimes Papyrus will join you on these walks, and other times he goes home to ‘train’. For what, you aren’t sure, but it makes him happy and drains out a fraction of the pent-up energy within him. 

It’s funny how the quiet had never been a bother to you before, but after the days spent with these two, you aren’t sure you’d want to go back to the silence that comes with living alone. The bubbling energy that Papyrus emits brings a new light to the house, making everything feel brighter and closer to the way home used to feel for you. The puns that Sans throws out every now and then make you laugh harder than you have in years, bringing back memories of your father that hurt less and less with each passing joke.

You hate to be ungrateful for the company that Daisy has given you since you brought her home, but it’s different having someone around that can actually hold a conversation. She’s always been such a tremendous help when you would feel the walls closing in around you, and you will always appreciate her presence, but there had been something missing for so long and now everything just feels… right. Like a puzzle piece you hadn’t realized you’d been missing suddenly fell into place.

You still aren’t sure what Sans spends his days doing while the two of you are away, but after realizing how rude it must have come across for you to demand he get a job immediately after officially meeting, you aren’t pushing him for answers just yet. You want to apologize to him, but you can’t seem to get him alone long enough to make that happen. He’s always _poofing_ off just when you think you might get the opportunity, and you’re starting to think he’s avoiding being alone with you which is understandable you suppose, but it makes apologizing difficult. 

You’d rather apologize to him in privacy, you’ve picked up the way his attitude changes when he’s around Papyrus and you’d like to give him the chance to be genuine with his acceptance or denial of your apology. You get the feeling that if you do it in front of Papyrus, Sans would lean more towards forgiving you simply to appease his brother and you don’t want that. You want him to forgive you because he truly feels that he can and if he chooses not to then you’ll accept it and try to do what you can to make it up to him.

Honestly, you find yourself starting to like Sans because despite what happened underground he still has a strong sense of humor, and while occasionally there are some darker jokes thrown in, you really love listening to the silly puns he comes up with. It’s even better when Papyrus hops in, pretending to hate every moment of it but smiling all the same. It warms your heart to see how close they are, and you hardly notice the way they chip at your inner walls more and more each day.

Yes, life has certainly been better lately, but you really need to have a good conversation with Sans, not only to get your apology out, but to possibly learn a bit more about him. You’re not quite sure when the desire to know more about these two started, so you’re surprised with yourself when you start wondering what sort of hobbies Sans may have. Papyrus is practically an open book, so you already know a significant amount about him, but Sans remains an enigma. All you know about him is that he has a (disgusting) habit of drinking ketchup, so much that you had to start buying bottles in bulk, and he loves making jokes and puns.

You’d like to find out more about him, but he always deflects the conversation back to Papyrus when it seems like he may become the center of attention. That’s okay though, you know that eventually the two of you are going to be alone, and you hope to clear the air and learn more about him when that time comes.

“Alright, I’ve got to deliver these orders, but you can go on home Papyrus, there’s only a few here so I think I can handle these.”

“IF YOU INSIST MISS Y/N, I NEED TO CHECK UP ON MY LAZYBONES BROTHER ANYWAYS. I’LL SEE YOU WHEN YOU GET BACK!”

You wave him goodbye and head off to make your deliveries. Today isn’t too bad, you load two pies, a few batches of cookies, and two cake rolls into your hand wagon so transporting them on your own isn’t a difficult task. You manage to Tetris the boxes together perfectly and you’ve gotten used to making the deliveries on foot, so you rarely find yourself having trouble with the workload.

The first order is only a few blocks away; an elderly woman who’s had some difficulty walking lately is having guests over, so she requested you make the two pies to save her the arduous task of both dinner and dessert.

The cookies are for an after-school program closer to downtown. Every Friday the teachers will order some treats for the students, as a reward for their hard work that week. It seems like a great morale booster for the kids and you always try to give them something fun to snack on, this week it’s astronaut-food cookies shaped like little rockets. 

The last order is for a new customer, she sounded incredibly nervous over the phone and you were barely able to understand what she was asking for. She had requested two orders of your new special, Sea Tea Cake Rolls (you're especially proud of this recipe as it's one of the few ways to make Sea Tea palatable) to be delivered to the Lab on the other side of town, the farthest you’ve had to walk in a while. You’re curious how she found your little bakery, but you certainly aren’t complaining because she offered to pay double your delivery fee! 

Arriving at the Lab, you’re momentarily amazed. It’s such a large building, and you don’t remember it being here several years ago, so you wonder if its perhaps monster related. Maybe this is where they’ve been pumping out all that monster tech? You look for a way to make your presence known, but there doesn’t appear to be any sort of buzzer, just a metallic door with the word ‘LAB’ written above it. You raise your hand to knock on the door when it suddenly slides open, revealing a small, yellow, lizard-monster.

“Oh!” you say, startled, “Uhm, hi there, I’ve got a delivery here for a Dr. Alphys?”

“Y-yes that’s me!”

“Well here you are! I hope everything is up to your standards, I always appreciate new customers and would love to fill any orders you have in the future.”

“T-thank you… uhm… what’s your name again?” She asks sheepishly.

“It’s Y/n.” You say holding your hand out.

She takes your hand to shake and says, “Well it’s n-nice to meet you Y/n… I uhm…w-would you like to c-come in?”

“Oh, I appreciate the offer, but I really don’t have the time. Thank you for the invitation though!” You start to turn when she reaches out to you.

“Wait! W-wait… I… I have a-a confession to make…”

You raise your eyebrow at her as you turn back around. What could this be about?

“I uhm…. I-I… IonlyorderedfromyoubecauseIwantedtocheckonanoldfriendofmine.” She says so quickly that you only catch a few words.

“I’m sorry I didn’t quite get that, I heard something about an old friend?”

Her face lights up like a Christmas Tree in embarrassment, “I’m, s-sorry. I’m not great around n-new people. I just… I just wanted to ch-check on an old friend of mine. H-he works at your bakery now a-and I just wanted t-to make sure he’s doing o-okay.” She seems to fold in on herself, you feel a little bad for this monster, she clearly has some issues and you don’t want to make her uncomfortable.

“Are you talking about Papyrus?”

Her eyes light up at the name, “Yes! Yes, that’s him! Uhm… would you mind… t-telling me how he is?”

You think about this for a moment, really, you shouldn’t be divulging personal information about your employees. For all you know this woman could be some sort of stalker, why wouldn’t she ask him directly?

“I’m sorry Doctor, but I really can’t just divulge personal information without permission from my employee.”

She looks completely dejected at this statement, and you try not to feel too guilty, after all, she could have some nefarious intentions and you’d rather be safe than sorry! If she really wants to know how Papyrus is doing, she’s more than welcome to come to the bakery and ask him. But she does seem awfully nervous, maybe there’s a reason she can’t see him.

“I can say that if I were worried about someone’s well-being, a visit to them might not be a bad idea?”

“Y-yes… it would make s-sense b-but I don’t think he wants to s-see us-- me! I d-don’t think he wants to s-see me!” She starts sweating, that’s not suspicious at all. Okay, first instincts Y/n, something isn’t right here.

“Okay, well I really should get going, I hope you have a great day.” You turn to leave, but apparently the lizard-monster isn’t finished.

“Wait! Please, p-please don’t tell him I w-was asking about him! I p-promise I only have good in-intentions!” She’s begging you, you really don’t feel comfortable with this, whatever may have happened between them isn’t any of your business.

“I really don’t know what to say here, I don’t want to be rude, but Papyrus is my employee and as a result, I feel the need to protect him. Whatever it is you want with him, you need to discuss it with _him_. If he doesn’t want to see you then I think you should respect his wishes, not go behind his back and try to get information out of the people around him. It’s an invasion of privacy and if you really have good intentions, then this doesn’t seem like the best way to prove that.”

She looks at the ground in defeat, “I’m sorry, y-you’re absolutely right. I w-won’t bother you again.”

“Have a nice day Dr. Alphys.” You finally manage to leave. Stars above, what _was_ that, and should you tell Papyrus? You probably should, if she does have bad intentions for him then he needs to know. She didn’t seem to be cruel, but she certainly seemed suspicious and it sounds like she isn’t the only one Papyrus doesn’t want to see.

…

...Darn that sneaky skeleton! He’s weaseling his way into your life more and more; you should have seen this coming when you invited him to stay with you. It’s impossible not to care about him and caring about someone always brings worry! Now he’s got potential stalkers and, once again, you’re all sorts of concerned for his well-being.

They haven’t been staying with you that long, is this how it’s always going to be? Does trouble just follow this poor skeleton around? At this rate, you’re going to need to put a tracker and helmet on him, just so you can have a miniscule amount of peace!

Oh...sweet cinnamon rolls...is this why Sans always followed his brother around? As annoying as Papyrus found it, you are starting to sympathize with Sans, maybe his reasons weren't quit as unfounded as you thought they were. The poor bean seems to find trouble without realizing it and you wouldn’t be surprised if your hair started greying from all the stress and worry.

Alright Y/n let’s look at the situation again; you let two monsters, who you hardly know, move into your home. Okay, that’s fine, people get roommates all the time from newspaper ads so it’s not _completely_ unorthodox for you to decide a couple of roommates could do you some good. But he’s supposed to be your employee, do all employers get this concerned for their underlings? Maybe… after all, it’s only decent to be concerned for another person’s well-being, right? But you closed down shop to go check on him, it’s highly unlikely most employers do that, BUT, not unreasonable. Surely there are other employers out there who would have made the same choices you did.

Argh! You don’t know what’s wrong with you… What’s worse is you won’t even have time to contemplate this alone, once you get home, he’s going to be there! You really should tell him about Dr. Alphys, but maybe you can stop by the gardens before going home. It’s only a couple blocks out of the way, and you can just make a quick stop by the Echo Flowers to vent some frustrations and be on your way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y/n- 'Sea Tea huh? *drinks* oh sweet buttery biscuits that is saaaalty!! Let's just add ALL the sugar...'
> 
> So, Valentines day is coming up, what are all of your plans?
> 
> I plan on raiding the stores the day after for all that sweet, sweet discount chocolate :3


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentine's Day ya'll!! You know what that means??
> 
> One more day to discount chocolate ;) 
> 
> Oh, and AmyScarlet convinced me to drop the chapter today because we've finally got some wholesome Sans/reader interaction yay!! 
> 
> Enjoy <3

It’s taken a few days but thanks to some effective _persuasion_ that pushed his permits through quickly, in just two days Sans will finally be able to put himself back into the work force. He’s got his old hotdog stand from the underground ready and plenty of product to last throughout the day. Paps is going to be so proud of him, it's been awhile since he was this excited!

He’s still trying to prove that the human has some kind of ulterior motive for letting the brothers stay with her, no human is that nice, not even a kindness soul. Who goes around offering free room and board to a couple of monsters? Someone with nefarious intentions, that’s who. He’s been so busy trying to get his ‘business’ started that he hasn’t had many opportunities to dig up any dirt on her, but now that he’s all set up, maybe it’s time to start searching again.

For now though he’s earned himself a decent nap, so he shortcuts over to the Echo Caves and lays down in his favorite spot. There’s nobody around today so he’s got the whole place to himself.

Soft dirt, the quiet breeze that blows through the cave entrance, the gentle sound the echo flowers make as they sway in the wind. This is truly the best place for some peace and quiet, and so Sans starts to drift into a peaceful slumber.

…

…

…

Footsteps, damnit. Is it too much to ask for 5 minutes of silence? Sans opens his eyesockets to see who is intruding on his naptime and is surprised to see it’s Papyrus’ human. His little alcove is fairly well hidden, so she hasn’t noticed him, and he intends to keep it that way.

He watches her enter the cave and walk through the flowers, running her hands along the tops of each one as the sound of whispered worries and dreams trail in her wake. The soft blue light from the flowers gives her skin an ethereal glow, and he can’t seem to stop his eyelight from wandering to the curves of her body. Realizing what he’s doing, he snaps his eyelight back to her face, and watches as she crouches down to speak to one of the flowers.

“What am I supposed to do here,” She says, almost solemnly, “He’s such a nice guy, and so easy to get along with. Am I being ridiculous, refusing to allow anyone in? I’ve been alone for so long, would I even know what to do anymore if I _did_ let someone get close? I mean… the last friend I had was Sarah and I haven’t spoken to her since graduation! That was almost ten years ago, and she was my _best friend,_ I’d be starting all over now and I don’t know what to do with that.”

She sighs deeply, “How can one person break down so many walls in just a matter of months. Did I jump the gun when I said they could stay with me? No… no, I came to terms with that last night. I don’t regret letting them move in, it was the right choice, but it’s so scary! What’s the next move? Am I supposed to just… let this happen? Let him in? _Worry about him constantly??_ What if I mess up? Do I even want this? It just seems so fast… I don’t understand why it’s so easy with him… I haven’t cared for anyone in _years_ , how can someone just pop into my life and become this important so quickly? It’s ridiculous is what it is! There must be something wrong with me, I’ve just been alone for too long. Solitude can drive anyone crazy, right? I’m just lonely…”

Realization seems to dawn on her, “I’m lonely. I've just felt so numb since I lost _them_ … I never had a problem being alone since that time, in fact I thought I preferred it that way, but now… suddenly it’s sinking in that I’m truly, _lonely_. And he’s been there, cheering me up when I didn’t even know I needed it.” She pauses, “Maybe it’s time I stopped being alone… maybe it’s okay for me to move on, let someone be a…. friend… Oh wow, that feels strange to say out loud. Friend.”

Exhaling slowly, she continues crouching there for a few moments, arms wrapped around her knees, staring beyond the flowers. When her eyes come back into focus, she taps the flower she had spoken to and listens to her words repeat themselves.

When the flower finishes, she smiles softly and says, “Thank you for letting me ramble, I think I can do this now” then stands and leaves the caves.

…

Well… that was certainly something. Now what in the name of Asgore's fluffy buns is he going to do with _that_ information?!? 

*****

Exiting the Echo Caves, you feel a little lighter. You’ve been stressing yourself out trying so hard _not_ to be friends with Papyrus, and suddenly it seems a little ridiculous to you. Every day for so long you would wake up, go to work, make generic small talk with anyone who approached you, and go home. You blocked all attempts at personal connections, closing yourself off to the world and essentially isolating yourself. That’s how you wanted it, but why?

When you lost your family, it crippled you, there’s no denying that, but what made you think it was a good idea to be alone with that pain for so long? Shutting out the world sounded like such a great plan in the beginning, you closed off any chance of being hurt again, but has this really been living? Is this really what your parents would have wanted for you?

You’ve felt so numb to everything around you for ages and with the appearance of this positive bundle of bones, the world has started to thaw around you. He almost feels like… family… like the brother you never got to know. It’s so much to take in, and you’re thankful you stopped by the gardens, Papyrus was right about the energy here, it really clears your head and helps you think.

If he’s come to mean this much to you in such a short amount of time, is it really right to try and deny him? People like him don’t come around every day, and maybe it’s time you let yourself feel again. You can’t spend the rest of your life as a zombie, going through the motions but never _experiencing_ them. You want your family to be proud of who you’ve become, not disappointed that you let their loss break you. They would feel so guilty if they knew how you’d spent all these years.

Suddenly, a figure appears and you nearly collide into them. Jumping back you scream, “SON OF A BISCUIT!! Would you _STOP_ DOING THAT!” Holding your racing heart, you look up at Sans.

He looks… tense? “Sans? Are you okay?”

  
He doesn’t respond, just continues to stare at you. “Sans? Did you hear me? Is everything alright, is there something you need?”

He raises a hand and brushes his thumb along your cheek, the bone feels smoother than you had expected, and warm? But the area he’s touched feels a little wet.

“why’r you cryin.” He states more than asks.

“I am? Oh wow, I didn’t even realize,” You wipe your cheeks in embarrassment, “Uhm, I was just thinking… about my family… I’m okay though, are you?"

He watches you for a moment, you can’t tell what he’s thinking, and you start to wonder about his personality. When he’s with Papyrus he seems so easy going and happy, always joking and throwing out puns. With anyone else though, well you in particular, he seems to clam up and become a bit hostile. Is he shutting the world out too? You suppose you’ve only seen him interact with Papyrus and yourself, so it’s hard to tell if it’s the world, or just you he’s shutting out.

But you’re alone! You’ve been trying to get him alone for days, this is your chance to apologize. “Do you… want to take a walk?”

He looks a little surprised at your question, but you just smile up at him. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, a chance to get your apology out and hopefully get to know this skeleton a bit more. After all, if you’re going to let Papyrus into your life, then you might as well give his brother the same chance.

He doesn’t respond, but he does step aside, and you take that as a gesture to lead the way. You start walking and are relieved when he joins you, but you aren’t really sure where to start. If you jump right into the apology, then he might get upset and disappear again, but if you try to drum up small talk then he might think you were simply trying to butter him up so he’d accept the apology.

Walking in the direction of your now favorite pond, an idea pops into your head, “Do you like nice-cream?” You ask him. 

He glances down at you quickly, then looking ahead again gives a non-committal grunt.

… You’ll take that as a yes then! You head for Blu’s cart and when the bunny is in view, he perks up at the sight of you.

“Y/n my dear! How are you? It’s so great to see you again and... oh boy you’ve brought Sans! Sans ol buddy ol pal how’s it going? Where have you been? It’s been ages since I’ve seen you!” So, Blu knows Sans too? This seems like the perfect time to find out if Sans is just as hostile to others as he is to you.

“jus been around.” Well he doesn’t seem comfortable around Blu, and he gave a clipped answer just like he often gives you, so maybe it really isn’t personal? 

“Ah yes yes I can see that, I hope you’ve been well! I won’t keep the two of you, two nice-creams? Do you have your punchcard Y/n?”

“Yes I do Blu, and I believe I only need one more hole punch! Oh wow, I think I spend too much time here.” You laugh, the nice cream is just so good you can’t help yourself!

“Well you are one of my best customers,” he says with a wink, “Here you are, you two enjoy your day now!”

You smile and wave as the two of you head towards the pond. This little tactic helped with Papyrus when he was feeling down, maybe you can help Sans too, he seems like he might need it.

The two of you sit down on the bench and start eating your nice-creams. Neither of you says a word but somehow the silence isn’t awkward. You wonder if this is a result of the magic in the air… wow, that sounded incredibly cheesy, you snicker to yourself.

Sans looks down at you, “what’s so funny” he asks suspiciously.

Oop! Busted. “Uhm sorry, I was just thinking about this place, and the old saying ‘there’s magic in the air’ came to mind,” you blush, it’s a little ridiculous when you say it out loud, “I just thought it was a little cheesy because well… five years ago it was just a saying, but now it’s a fact and this is ridiculous, I’m such an idiot, I’m sorry it’s really not even that funny.” You ramble on, sinking into the bench and feeling completely embarrassed about such an absurd thought.

“pfft.” You perk up, did he just…? Surely your ears deceive you? You glance up to his face and he’s no longer looking at you, he’s got his head turned slightly away and his nice-cream shoved in his mouth. Maybe he just choked a little on his treat, surely he didn’t _actually_ find that funny.

This is it! This is the opening you needed, “Hey Sans, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about in private.”

He looks back over at you and raises a browbone but doesn’t say a word.

“It’s just… well I’ve been thinking a lot about why you may not like me, I can tell that you’ve been avoiding me,” He looked like he was about to say something, but just narrowed his sockets a bit so you continue. “Anyways, I think I may have messed up when we officially met at the apartment. I sort of jumped the gun when I told you that you should get a job, and that was really rude of me. I didn’t mean for it to come out as some sort of ultimatum, but the more I thought about it the more it felt that way. It’s just that I didn’t really know you, and the only times I had seen you, you didn’t speak to me. And Papyrus had just been telling me how worried he was about you, and I was nervous about having a stranger in my home all day by himself, so I thought that if you had a job, it would calm my nerves a bit. I was out of line though, I shouldn’t have made it a condition that you get a job and I’m so sorry. I just want you and Papyrus to have a safe place to live."

He watches you for a moment, and you’re unable to read the look on his face before he finally speaks.

“ya know, ‘m glad you said that. s’been buggin me fer a while but what was i supposed to say now that yer my new landlord? ya coulda kicked us out fer bein ungrateful.”

“I wouldn’t have done that!” You say quickly.

“how was i s’posed to know that? i don’ exactly know much about ya.” He states matter-of-factly.

It’s true though, from his perspective you must have come across as incredibly bossy, and to be their only option at the moment must have backed him into an uncomfortable corner. Stars now you feel even worse.

“I’m so sorry Sans. I want you to know that I would _never_ kick you and Papyrus out simply for stating your feelings! I hope you can come to me when something is bothering you, especially if it’s something that I’ve done.”

He doesn’t respond immediately, but when he does you’re both shocked and relieved.

“you can quit apologizin’, i forgive ya. ‘sides, look over there.” He points to an unattended hot-dog cart across the pond and after seeing it, you look back up at him confused.

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly he says, “s’mine. used to run it down in the underground, so i thought i’d see how business does up here.”

For a moment, you look like a fish gasping for water the way your mouth opens and shuts repeatedly. He’s serving _hotdogs?_ Is that okay? Technically, hotdogs are made from meat so has he somehow overcome that aversion? Don’t misunderstand, you’re extremely happy for him, but one thing about monsters you _had_ paid attention to was the trigger that came with the sights and smells of meat, so maybe it’s different with hotdogs because of the questionable ingredients?

At the sight of your gaping mouth he lets out a chuckle, “wanna try one?”

“Uhm, sure, yea I’d like that.” This is going well, he’s actually holding a conversation with you!

He disappears from your side and you see him pop up across the pond. Pulling out a hotdog, he grabs a container of ketchup and mustard then poofs back to your side.

You wrap your nice cream back up and set it on the bench beside you before taking the hot dog and ketchup from him with a ‘thank you’. He nods his head and returns to eating his nice-cream, watching you from the corner of his eyesocket.

***Hot Dog…? Heals 20 HP**

***The ‘meat’ is made of—**

“hey, ya should eat that before it gets cold.” Sans says, interrupting what your soul had been picking up from the hotdog. That’s okay, it looked like it was about to list off ingredients and you aren’t sure you’d like to know what this hotdog is made of.

Putting a generous amount of ketchup on the hotdog, you take a large bite out of it.

_*bark bark bark*_

…

…

_What the hell is this thing???? DID IT JUST BARK AT YOU!?!?!_ You try hard not to spit out the hotdog, which you now realize _definitely_ isn’t a normal hotdog, while beside you Sans is laughing his non-existent ass off.

You look at him, mouthful of whatever the hell it is he fed you, an expression of pure and utter betrayal spread across your face.

He wipes a tear from his eyesocket and says, “oh man, yer face was priceless! hehe here, have a napkin.”

You quickly grab the offered napkin and spit the contents of your mouth into it before balling it up and putting it aside, “What the hell did you just feed me?? Was that thing _alive!? Oh God is Daisy okay!!_ ”

“hehehe yer dogs fine. this ones made out of a plant called a water sausage, and the magic makes it bark. not so bad if ya know it’s comin, otherwise it can be the _wurst.”_ He emphasizes wurst with a browbone wiggle and you catch on to the pun, letting out an undignified snort. Well, now you know how he’s serving ‘hotdogs’ without being triggered.

“also got hotcats if ya wanna try one of those.” He says with a wink.

“Noooo thank you! I think I’ve had enough, wait… what’s a hot-cat?” You narrow your eyes in suspicion.

“s’like a hotdog, but it meows when you eat it.”

You stare at him for a moment, before letting out a series of giggles. “Oh my stars, that is ridiculous!”

“hehe don’t knock it till ya try it, it’s not half bad.”

“Alright fine, bring on the hotcat.” You chuckle.

Smiling down at you, he disappears and reappears quickly, holding a hotcat out to you. Examining it closer, it looks similar to the ‘hotdog’ but with cute little cat ears on one end. _Awww_ how are you supposed to eat this? It’s too adorable!

You take the hotcat from Sans and give it a once-over,

***Hot cat- Heals 21 HP**

***Like a hotdog but with little cat ears on the end**

“So it meows, and it’s got little ears right here, you’re _absolutely sure_ this thing isn’t sentient, right?”

“heh, nah. the sounds are jus magic, no need ta worry.”

Alright, here goes, you opt to leave out the ketchup this time and take a bite out of the earless end of the hotcat, and sure enough you hear a ‘meow’ come from… somewhere! You quickly chew and swallow the bite, once you move past the initial shock of the animal sounds, it’s actually quite good!

“Wow, that was so cool! I mean, it’s a little weird that my food meowed at me, but it was adorable!” You beam up at him, a little relieved the meowing wasn’t some sort of screech of pain, instead it sounded more like a kitten meowing for attention.

He scratches his cheekbone and turns his face away from you, “heh, told ya it wasn’ bad.” Shoving his nice-cream back into his mouth, he keeps his skull averted from you. 

Wait is… is his skull turning blue? “Sans, are you alright? You’re turning blue, are you getting a fever or something? Can skeletons get fevers, is this some sort of magic thing, oh gosh are you okay???” 

He tenses up and the color seems to drain from his skull, glancing back at you for a moment, you think he may say something, but instead he just _*poofs*_ away...again. You stare at the spot he was just occupying, a little surprised that he just disappeared on you. Looking around, you don’t see him anywhere nearby, he must have left. You hope he’s okay…

He may have left abruptly, but it was still a pleasant visit. This was the right move, you think as you stand up to throw away your trash. Saving your hot dog and cat for later, you finish your nice-cream and check your wrapper to see the message left for you this time. With a smile, you toss the wrapper in the trash bin and make your way home. 

‘If you take a risk, you might find what you’re looking for.’

*****

What… The hell… WAS THAT!??!

Why was he blushing?? What is _wrong_ with him? He was supposed to be getting intel on the human, getting her to open up to him so she’d let her guard down, so why the hell was his soul racing when she looked at him like that?

It was so _cute_ how she reacted to the hotcat, like it was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen, and that smile was directed at _him._

No, no no no he needs to stop this _right now_. She’s playing with them, hell, she probably _knew_ he was in the echo caves, and set up that whole dialogue just to throw him off guard. Make him think she can be trusted just so she can go and… and… dust them or something!!

But then… what was she thinking about that had her crying? She said her family… is this about the baby? Did she lose a spouse and child?

Why does he care! It’s none of his business what she does, he just needs to look out for himself and his brother. He’s got to remember that she’s a human, and she’s got to have some ulterior motives.

But then she asked him to walk with her, she doesn’t seem to be scared of him… it’s kind of nice being looked at like a normal person and not some broken freak…

No Sans, she’s bad news, she’s got secrets just like all the other humans and eventually she’ll turn on them, just like… just like _them._

So why did he think it was cute when she started rambling about ‘magic in the air’? Why did the way she laughed at her own joke make something stir in his soul?

Because she’s a filthy succubus, that’s why! She’s probably an expert at this, maybe she’s some sort of black widow that lures men in with sweet treats and soft laughter. Was that nursery all for show? Something to make him and Paps think she’s mourning, make them feel bad for her so when they let their guard down, she can crush their souls?

Did she plan all of this… set the whole thing up so she could make it seem like she’s got _good intentions_ and he can _trust her?_

He looks down at the nice-cream wrapper in his hand,

‘The best way to find out if you can trust someone, is to trust them’

…..

He wads up the wrapper and stuffs it in his pocket. What the hell does a nice-cream know anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nicecream- knows what you need to hear
> 
> Sans- Stupid faulty nicecream, you don't know SQUAT!
> 
> Phew! I think that was the longest chapter we've had so far (poor Amy, I'm working her down to the bone ;D)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! double update weekend thanks to the hard work AmyScarlet put into editing ^3^

You make it back home and find Papyrus out front playing fetch with Daisy. 

“Hey Papyrus,” You wave to him, “You two look like you’re having fun!”

“HELLO Y/N! YES, WE ARE HAVING QUITE A LOT OF FUN! I’M GETTING MISS DAISY HERE INTO SHAPE, DID YOU KNOW SHE WAS UNAWARRE OF THE RULES AND ETIQUETTE INVOLVED WHEN PLAYING FETCH BEFORE I CAME ALONG?”

Well that doesn’t sound right, she’s always played fetch with you before… wait, is he throwing bones? Okay now you get it.

“Papyrus, you do realize you’re throwing bones, right?”

“OF COURSE, HAVEN'T YOU EVER HEARD THE SAYING ‘THROW ME A BONE’? THAT’S WHAT I’M DOING, I THROW, AND SHE’S SUPPOSED TO FETCH AND BRING IT BACK. BUT IT TOOK HER A FEW TRIES TO FIGURE THAT OUT!”

“Well that’s probably because she wants to eat the bones,” you laugh. “Props to you though for getting her to give them back.”

“WHY OF COURSE, YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO SPEAK TO THEM. YOUR DAISY IS A SMART POOCH, SHE CATCHES ON QUICKLY.”

“Yea, she is pretty smart,” smiling, you take a seat on the porch swing. You should really talk to Papyrus about Dr. Alphys sooner rather than later, but first, “Hey, you haven’t seen Sans, have you? I ran into him at the Botanical Gardens earlier and he looked a little tense at first. He did take a walk with me and we spent some time talking, but then he started turning blue and I was a little worried. When I mentioned it, he sort of just… poofed away.”

“AH YES, MY BROTHER HAS A BAD HABIT OF DOING THAT. HE DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING RUDE TO YOU DID HE?”

“No, he was actually really pleasant. Did you know he opened up a hot dog stand? Well… They aren’t actually hot dogs, they’re—”

“WATER SAUSAGES?” He guesses correctly.

“Well, yeah? That, and hotcats, he let me try one of each and oh boy, I was not prepared for the sounds.” You chuckle to yourself at the thought of how alarming that first ‘hotdog’ had been.

“WELL HE DOES LOVE PLAYING HIS SILLY PRANKS.” Papyrus rolls his eyelights exaggeratedly, “BUT I’M OVERJOYED TO HEAR HE’S RE-OPENED HIS HOTDOG STAND! THAT MEANS HE’S FINALLY STEPPING OUT OF HIS LAZYBONES WAYS AND MOTIVATING HIMSELF! I’LL HAVE TO PREPARE A CELEBRATORY DINNER FOR HIM TONIGHT.”

You smile, but bring the conversation back to his color change, “Do you know anything about him turning blue? Could he have gotten sick or something? Do monsters even get sick?”

“HMM…” He rubs his chinbone in contemplation, before he seems to realize something, “UHM… WELL IT’S UH… IT’S NOTHING LIKE THAT, HE’S NOT SICK SO YOU SHOULDN’T WORRY, BUT I DON’T FEEL LIKE IT’S MY PLACE TO… HE DID SHOW UP HERE A FEW MINUTES AGO, I BELIEVE HE’S IN OUR ROOM NOW IF YOU’D LIKE TO SPEAK WITH HIM?” Well that’s not suspicious at all, what could have happened to Sans that has Papyrus so nervous? 

“Oh no that’s alright. I just wanted to make sure he was okay and if you say he’s not sick then I suppose I can ask him another time. I uh, did want to talk with you privately though. It’s about one of my deliveries today…”

“OH NO, DID SOMETHING HAPPEN? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” 

He starts to panic so you wave your hands in front of you, “No no, I’m okay! It’s just that the customer...well, she was someone who seems to know you and was asking about you. She started to act a little suspicious, so I thought I’d let you know just in case it turns into anything, her name was Dr. Alphys and she works up at the Labs on the other side of town. Do you know her?”

At the sound of her name, his face drops significantly. Oh jeez, this doesn’t look good.

“AH, YES. DR. ALPHYS.” He sighs and sits down on the swing next to you. “SHE WAS ASKING ABOUT ME, YOU SAID?”

“Uhm, yes? Why? What’s wrong?”

He’s quiet for a bit, just as you’re about to ask if he’s okay he says, “DO YOU… MIND IF I TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SANS AND MYSELF?”

“………..Sure Papyrus. If there’s something you need to get off your chest, I’m all ears.”

“IT’S JUST, WELL, I’M ONLY MENTIONING IT BECAUSE NOW SHE’S ESSENTIALLY DRAGGED YOU INTO OUR BUSINESS, AND IT’S HARD TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU DISLIKE SOMEONE, WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THAT SOMEONE DID.” He’s fidgeting and you feel bad that he seems to be uncomfortable, you find yourself incredibly irritated with the doctor.

“Of course, but Papyrus, please know you don’t have to tell me anything. If you simply want to leave it where it is, then I’ll stand up for you all the way. If they’ve done something bad enough to make you dislike them, then I trust your opinion.”

His eyes well up with tears, and he reaches down for a quick hug, “THANK YOU Y/N, BUT I THINK I CAN TELL YOU.” He straightens up and looks to the sunset, after a few moments he says, “BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BACK BEFORE THE FAMINE SANS WAS ACTUALLY THE ONE TO RAISE ME. I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR PARENTS, HE WOULD NEVER TALK ABOUT THEM, ALL I KNOW IS THAT ONE DAY IT WAS JUST THE TWO OF US. SANS IS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLDER THAN ME, SO IT’S NOT AS IF HE WAS PREPARED FOR THE ROLE HE WAS THRUST INTO, BUT HE DID HIS BEST, HE REALLY DID. WE LIVED ON THE STREETS OF NEW HOME FOR YEARS, SANS DOING WHAT HE COULD TO KEEP US SAFE AND FED, UNTIL ONE DAY GRILLBY FOUND US AND OFFERED US SHELTER. IT WAS SUCH A RELIEF TO FINALLY HAVE A ROOF OVER OUR SKULLS, AND WHEN I WAS A LITTLE OLDER, I DECIDED TO DO WHAT I COULD TO HELP SANS. I BEGAN TRAINING TO BE A ROYAL GUARD UNDER THE GUISE OF SEEKING FAME AND ADORATION, BUT REALLY, I JUST WANTED TO EASE SOME OF THE BURDEN FROM MY BROTHER. HE HAD ALWAYS TAKEN SUCH GREAT CARE OF ME, HE WORKED SEVERAL JOBS BUT ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE, CRACKING JOKES AND PLAYING PRANKS… HE ALWAYS SEEMED AT LEAST A LITTLE HAPPY. IN FACT, HE WAS A REGULAR AT THE GREASE TRAP THAT GRILLBY RAN, AND EVERYONE LOVED HIM! HE HAD SO MANY FRIENDS, AND I WAS A LITTLE JEALOUS I WON’T LIE, BUT HE SEEMED SO HAPPY AND THAT MADE ME HAPPY.

BUT THEN THE NIGHTMARES STARTED… THE NIGHTMARES ARE WHAT FINALLY PUSHED ME TO TRAIN FOR THE ROYAL GUARD. ONE DAY, HE JUST STARTED WAKING UP TERRIFIED THAT SOMETHING HORRENDOUS HAD JUST HAPPENED, I THINK THE STRESS OF WORKING SO MUCH HAD FINALLY GOTTEN TO HIM, AND I WANTED TO HELP SO BADLY, BUT… SHE WOULDN’T LET ME JOIN… THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, UNDYNE, HAD BEEN TRAINING ME, BUT SHE SAID I WASN’T READY AND I NEEDED TO CONTINUE BUILDING UP MY STRENGTH, STARTING AS A SENTRY. IT WAS A START AT LEAST, BUT HIS NIGHTMARES DIDN’T STOP. HE DIDN’T HAVE THEM EVERY NIGHT THANKFULLY, BUT THE NIGHTS HE DID WERE TERRIFYING AND HONESTLY, THE ONE GOOD THING THAT CAME FROM THE INJURY TO HIS SKULL IS THAT HE NO LONGER HAS THOSE NIGHTMARES.”

After all of that, Papyrus pauses. You can safely assume he’s thinking about the past, and you don’t want to interrupt him because he seems to have a lot to get out. Finally, he continues;

“AND THEN A HUMAN CHILD CAME THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND, AND THEY WERE… STRANGE. I… I NOTICED THE DUST ON THEIR SMALL HANDS, BUT SURELY… SURELY THEY HAD JUST BEEN SCARED, AND ACTED IN DEFENSE… BUT THEN THEY MANAGED TO MAKE IT OUT OF THE UNDERGROUND SOMEHOW, AND AFTER THEY DID, EVERYTHING CHANGED. THE KING HAD DISAPPEARED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHERS, AND EVERYONE WAS SO LOST AND CONFUSED, SO UNDYNE CLAIMED THE THRONE TO TRY AND MAINTAIN ORDER… AND IT WORKED, UNTIL THE CORE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER.

YOU SEE, ANOTHER INTERESTING DETAIL ABOUT SANS IS THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY VERY ASTUTE WHEN IT CAME TO SCIENCE AND HE SOMEHOW HAD A GREAT DEAL OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE CORE, SO WHEN EVERYTHING STARTED TO SHUT DOWN, HE TRIED EVERYTHING HE COULD TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. I WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HIM, HE WOULD LOCK HIMSELF AWAY IN HIS WORKSHOP FOR DAYS AT A TIME, TRYING TO DECIPHER THE ISSUES AND DRIVING HIMSELF MAD. HE HADN’T SHOWN SO MUCH INITIATIVE IN A LONG TIME, I’M AFRAID SOMETHING MUST HAVE HAPPENED TO DRIVE HIM OVER THE EDGE, HE JUST WOULDN’T TELL ME WHAT.”

He looks down to his hands and sighs, “ONE DAY, I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE CORE AND REPORT TO EMPRESS UNDYNE, BUT SANS GOT ALL PANICKY AND INSISTED I SHOULDN’T GO. HE EVEN SENT ME AWAY TO RE-CALIBRATE MY PUZZLES AND VOLUNTEERED TO GO IN MY STEAD. I DON’T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, BUT I DO KNOW THAT ALPHYS CONSPIRED WITH UNDYNE TO TRY AND TAKE MY BROTHERS MAGIC. THEY BELIEVED THAT HIS MAGIC WAS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO GIVE THE CORE A JUMP-START, AND SO WHEN HE CAME… UNDYNE ATTACKED HIM. IT’S A MIRACLE HE SURVIVED… EVER SINCE THE ATTACK THOUGH, HE HASN’T BEEN THE SAME. HE LOST SOME IMPORTANT MEMORIES, AND HE GETS PANIC ATTACKS QUITE FREQUENTLY. SOMETIMES HE GETS TRAPPED IN THE PAST OR GOES INTO A DAZE AND I CAN’T SNAP HIM OUT OF IT FOR HOURS.”

Tears start to fall down Papyrus’ cheekbones, you don’t know what to do so you just take his hand and squeeze. He looks down at you and tries to smile, “HE’S STILL MY BROTHER, HIS SOUL HASN’T CHANGED, BUT SOMETIMES HIS HEAD MAKES HIM DO QUESTIONABLE THINGS. UNFORTUNATELY, UNDYNE AND ALPHYS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE CORE DIDN’T TURN BACK ON, AND THEY DAMAGED MY BROTHER BEYOND REPAIR. WHEN THEY CONFESSED TO THE CRIME, I TOLD THEM I COULD NEVER FORGIVE THEM, AND HAVEN’T SPOKEN TO THEM SINCE. UNDYNE USED TO BE MY VERY BEST FRIEND, SHE TRAINED ME, SHE TAUGHT ME TO COOK, SHE WAS MY IDOL… AND SHE BETRAYED ME. I UNDERSTAND THAT SHE WAS DESPERATE, THERE WERE A LOT OF STARVING MONSTERS ALL LOOKING TO HER FOR GUIDANCE, AND MAYBE ONE DAY I COULD FORGIVE THE TWO OF THEM… BUT I’M JUST NOT READY.” 

Your eyes sting with the tears you’re trying to hold back, you never could have imagined something like that was the cause of Sans’ injury, and for Papyrus to be betrayed by his best friend? You can’t hold back the tears anymore, you hug Papyrus as tight as you can, “I’m so sorry that you two went through all of that, there are just no words.”

Papyrus squeezes you back, then with a soft tone says, “Thank you Y/n, you do not need to apologize to me. But it does feel nice to have told this story to you.”

The two of you sit out there until the sun goes down, and you decide right then that if anyone deserved a friend, it was Papyrus, and you would be damn lucky if he gave you that honor. 

*****

Sans lay in bed looking up at the ceiling and trying to figure out his next move. He almost let his guard down around the human, and he can’t let that happen again. He had hoped to uncover some hidden secrets by now, but he was distracted with working on getting his hotdog stand up and running. Now that he’s all settled in, he can start looking again. 

He’s managed to get a pretty good layout of the place, the only areas he hasn’t gotten a better look at are her bedroom, ~~_that sweet smell_ ~~and the door at the end of the hall. He’s been so busy that the room had slipped his mind, what could be in there?

She had said she had a guest bedroom the brothers could stay in, but she chose to clear out the nursery? If this room held so many dark memories and she was able to clear it out for them, what could possibly be in the other room? It had to be something harder than losing a child, or some secret she didn’t want them to know.

Or maybe it’s a storage closet, and he’s overthinking it…. 

…Nah, it’s definitely secrets. 

It’s just him and Paps right now, and he’s outside playing fetch, maybe Sans should check it out while he has the opportunity. He pulls himself from the bed and makes his way to the hall, checking that Papyrus hasn’t wandered back inside—it’s quiet in here, so Paps must still be outside—Sans makes his way towards the door. Reaching out he tries to turn the handle to find that it’s locked. _Interesting._

Why would someone need to lock a door in their own home, unless they were trying to keep someone out? He’s more suspicious than ever and intends to find the key that unlocks this door. Whatever is inside she doesn’t want the two of them to see, and it could be the proof he’s looking for. But where would she keep the key? 

He had kept his workshop key in his bedroom, so maybe that’s a good place to start. He makes his way over to her bedroom door and turning the handle slowly, he braces himself for the overwhelming aroma that washes over him as the door opens. 

Inhaling deeply, he shakes his head to clear all of the conflicting thoughts that cross his mind. He’s here for the key, focus.

Shutting the door behind him and looking around, he decides to start with the bed. Running his hands under the pillows and mattress he comes up empty handed so he moves on to the bedside tables. The drawers are full of random junk, _toys_ , and some cheesy romance novel that he shakes out in case she’s hidden the key within the pages. _Nothing._

Moving on to her closet, he shuffles through the clothes ~~_smells like cupcakes_~~ and shakes all of her shoes out with no luck. Using his magic to pull the boxes down from the shelves, he rummages through them the best he can being sure to carefully put them back without making it obvious that someone has been here, but still turns up empty handed.

Finally, he approaches her dresser and opens the top drawer, but after seeing the contents he immediately slams it shut again. His face lights up blue in embarrassment at having opened her sock drawer, but he needs to find that key, so he slowly opens the drawer and peeks inside.

_Oh stars she’s got toe socks_. NO! Key, key, key where is that damn key! He rummages through the socks, face blue and sweat starting to form on the back of his skull. 

_These ones are lacy._ STOP IT!! Key, key, door? Did someone just open the front door? Shit he’s got to get out of here.

Shutting the drawer closed as quietly as he can, he teleports back to his room before he’s caught searching through her delicates. Pulling his hood over his head he wallows in solitary embarrassment and wonders where in the world that key could be.

*****

Dinner with the boys was great as always, Papyrus spent most of the evening praising Sans for his achievement with the hotdog cart and you joked with him about that jarring first bite, suggesting he maybe warn his future customers before he scares all of them off. 

Now you’re lying in bed trying to figure out what could have happened to cause Sans’ skull to change color. Papyrus had said you shouldn’t worry about it so it couldn’t be anything bad, but he did get fidgety so maybe… maybe it’s something embarrassing? Have you ever seen Papyrus change color like that? Well, not that you can think of… let’s see, Sans turned blue, that much we know. It almost seemed to be focused in the center of his skull… near… his... cheekbones… ohmygosh was he blushing!??!

Slapping your hand to your head, you can’t believe you hadn’t thought of this before! He was blushing, of course he would disappear after you called him out for something like that! 

But why was he blushing? Did you say something to embarrass him… you can’t remember what you had said right before he left, but you’re pretty sure it was about the hotcat and you can’t figure out why that would embarrass him. Yawning, you close your eyes and push all thoughts of blushing skeletons from your mind for now,you can solve this puzzle another time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y/n- I could have sworn I had another pair of toe socks around here somewhere
> 
> Sans- *sweating profusely* TWENTY FOUR!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some sugar coated fluff :)

Creativity tends to hit you in the strangest of ways, this time it’s come in the form of a blushing blue skeleton monster. Yesterday’s outing with Sans had left you inspired, something about the way his skull lit up gave you a miraculous idea for a fun fall treat that you wanted to get a head start on, sugar skulls!

You spent the whole day at work just itching to get home so you can start working on your experiment and now that your last delivery had been made, you can finally begin.

“Y/N, YOU’VE BEEN RATHER FIDGETY ALL DAY, IS EVERYTHING OKAY?” Papyrus asks you in concern on your walk home. You hadn’t mentioned your idea to him yet, you wanted to lay it all out in your head before presenting the creation to him. 

“Everything’s great Papyrus!” You beam up at him, “I’ve just been thinking about a new recipe I want to try out.”

His face seems to light up in joy at your statement, “OH WOWIE! DO YOU PLAN ON CREATING THE NEW DISH THIS EVENING?”

“Yes sir! Sorry we’re going to have to skip out on puzzles tonight.” You’re not sorry, his puzzles have calmed down significantly since that first night, but they haven’t been easy by any means. 

“OH NO, WE CAN FORGO THE PUZZLES FOR ONE NIGHT IF IT MEANS I GET TO SPEND THE WHOLE EVENING BAKING WITH MY SECOND FAVORITE HUMAN! NYEHEHE!”

To your surprise, Papyrus picks you up and throws you over his shoulder before taking off at a sprint towards the house. “Woah!! Papyrus what are you doing!?” You manage to say with an undignified squawk.

“IF WE DON’T HURRY THEN WE MAY RUN OUT OF TIME! YOUR TINY HUMAN LEGS CAN’T CARRY YOU AS QUICKLY AS I CAN! HEHE NYEH!”

“My legs aren’t that tiny.” You say with a pout. You can’t really argue his logic though because before long, you’ve arrived at home. 

Papyrus gently places you back on the ground before giving you an excited smile, “SEE! WE MADE IT IN RECORD TIME, ARE YOU READY TO TELL ME WHAT SORT OF TREATS WE’LL BE WORKING ON THIS EVENING!?”

Giggling at his excitement, you make your way inside with him following close behind, “Well, I was thinking about what happened yesterday when Sans turned blue and it gave me an idea for something really cool! I’ve been trying to think of other ways to incorporate Sea Tea into our menu, the cake rolls are great but the sugar and cream filling only cut down the salt a little bit. So far we’ve only had monsters order the rolls because it’s just a fraction better than what they’re used to, but humans still don’t have a taste for it. The idea I have centers around a holiday known as ‘Día de Muertos’ or ‘Day of the Dead’, it’s a holiday that celebrates lost loved ones and a widely recognized symbol during this event is called a ‘sugar skull’. 

“I want to start with caramel apples, then we can coat them in white chocolate candies and decorate them! The Sea Tea glows, so when our apples are decorated we can brush them with the Sea Tea in various areas to make a salted-caramel-apple-sugar-skull that’s illuminated!” 

“GASP! THAT SOUNDS WONDERFUL! I HAVE HEARD OF THIS CELEBRATION BEFORE, IT IS CENTERED AROUND SKELETONS AFTER ALL, OF WHICH I AM AN EXPERT NYEHE.” Cape waving valiantly behind him, Papyrus continues to boast about his knowledge on skeletons, but your mind is preoccupied with how you’ll make these sugar skulls work.

“—THEN THEY COVERED MY SKULL WITH BEAUTIFUL COLORS THAT I NATURALLY SPORTED FOR SEVERAL DAYS, UNTIL IT RAINED AND THE PAINT BEGAN TO RUN. Y/N? ARE YOU LISTENING?”

“Oh! Yes of course, sorry Papyrus, I’m just really excited to work on the sugar skulls.”

“OF COURSE! LET’S GET TO IT SHALL WE?”

The two of you maneuver the kitchen grabbing the ingredients you’ll need for the recipe, then Papyrus begins impaling the apples with wooden sticks while you melt the butter, milk and caramel in a saucepan. 

Once the caramel is melted you hand the saucepan to Papyrus so he can begin dipping the apples while you reduce the Sea Tea and melt the colored candies for decoration. Finishing the apples, Papyrus places them in the fridge to cool and the two of you start filling piping bags with the melted candies.

Distracted by images of how you plan on decorating the sugar skulls, you don’t notice the figure looming just behind you. 

“ _penne_ fer ya thoughts?” Sans says from behind you, causing you to jump and nearly spill the melted candy mixtures.

Spinning around to yell at him for startling you, the words die in your mouth when you realize he’s waving a box of penne noodles in your direction.

…

…

“Pfft… Oh my gosh Sans that is ridiculous! Haha!” 

Shaking your head, you turn back to your task as Sans puts the pasta on a near by shelf. Leaning himself back in a chair with his legs propped up on the dining room table, he watches as you and Papyrus finish filling the piping bags, “so what’s cookin?” 

“WE’RE MAKING SUGAR SKULLS BROTHER! Y/N WAS INSPIRED BY YOUR EMBARRASSING DISPLAY YESTERDAY AND SHE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA!”

Papyrus’ statement seems to have caught Sans off guard because he quickly loses balance and falls backwards from his spot at the table.

“Sans! Are you alright!?” You ask as you rush over to help him up. 

Shaking you off he asks, “w-what the hell do ya mean paps?”

“WELL, Y/N TOLD ME THAT YOUR SKULL TURNED BLUE, AND THE COLORS INSPIRED HER TO CREATE A GLOWING SUGAR SKULL. THEY’RE NEARLY COMPLETE!”

Oh ho ho! There’s that inspiring blue blush again! Sans’ skull has lit up at Papyrus’ words and you try to stifle the laughter that bubbles up, you don’t want to embarrass him any more than he already seems to be. 

Snapping his skull in your direction, he narrows his eyesockets at you, it seems you didn’t hide your laugh well enough. “this some kinda joke?” He accuses.

Waving your hands in surrender you reply, “No of course not!! Can I just show you what I had in mind?”

Staying wary of your actions, he grunts in response and takes his seat again. Exhaling in relief, you pull the apples out of the fridge and Papyrus helps you dip them in the melted white chocolate. After every apple has been thoroughly coated, you put them back in the fridge for a few minutes to let it set.

Removing them one last time, you place the apples on the table so you and Papyrus can sit down to decorate them. You want to try a few different glowing designs for the apples so after drawing the faces and placing some colorful spirals and flowers across the sugar skull, you brush the eyes and mouth of one apple, almost giving it a jack-o-lantern appearance. 

The next apple you trace over all of your designs, accentuating the colors and giving a more even glow across the entirety of the sugar skull. This coating spreads the Sea Tea over more of the treat which would give it an even coating of saltiness, this one is a winner! 

You had planned on brushing the cheekbones of one of your sugar skulls, but you don’t want to risk angering Sans, not after you two had finally started getting along.

You turn the apple so Sans can see what you’ve done, “Here, I think this is the winning design!”

Examining the treat skeptically, he must approve of your design because he relaxes in his seat, “a’right it does look pretty good.” He mumbles. 

“AWE, THAT’S A SHAME BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT MY APPLE WOULD BE THE WINNING DESIGN!” Turning his apple to face the two of you, you try your absolute hardest not to laugh. 

“what the hell paps!!!” In Papyrus’ hands lay a sugar skull yes, and the designs are beautiful of course, but he’s chosen to dust the cheekbones of his skull with the glowing Sea Tea, _and he’s drawn the face to resemble Sans!_

With a sly grin, Papyrus states, “I WAS SIMPLY TRYING TO RE-CREATE THE ORIGINAL INSPIRATION, IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH MY DESIGN?”

“wha-whaddya mean is there a problem! ya made it look like me!” Sans stutters out in angry protest.

“A RATHER FLATTERING DEPICTION OF YOU, YES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAMPLE THIS ONE? I COULD ALWAYS MAKE ANOTHER.” 

“ya will not!”

It’s hard not to tease Sans in this moment, but you bite your tongue to preserve the small progress you had made with him yesterday and instead choose to listen as the brothers bicker back and forth. Looking at the clock you realize it’s getting pretty late, so while the two continue with their antics you start heating up leftover pasta for everyone. 

After dinner is served, Papyrus stops teasing Sans and instead begins to boast about the hot dog stand again. You’re happy for Sans, you can tell he’s proud to open up the stand and you imagine he’ll get plenty of business with those magical ‘dogs and cats of his. 

It’s finally time to try your creations, and each of you sample one of the sugar skulls. The second skull you had decorated was definitely a winner, the sweet caramel, chocolate and candies paired fabulously with the salty Sea Tea and you’re hoping the new treat will appeal to your human customers as well as your monster customers. 

Bidding the boys goodnight, you head to your room and collapse onto your bed. Staring up at the ceiling your mind wanders to Sans’ blue skull, you’re incredibly grateful that his blushing inspired you to make these new treats! The sugar skulls will be great this fall and you imagine most of the orders you get will be for evening parties, the glowing treats will be perfect! 

Thoughts of another glowing object fill your mind, and you glance to the dimensional box in the corner of your room. Climbing out of bed, you walk over and open the box to pull out the item. Seeing that familiar glow, you turn the star over and over trying to find any sort of marking, something that can give you a clue as to what this thing is.

***Mysterious item- Heals ????**

***Filled with good intentions, hope for a better future, and DETERMINATION**

  


Well nothing’s changed, it’s still just a glowing yellow star filled with all kinds of mystery. Sighing, you put the star back into the box and go to bed, you can solve that problem another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans- *glares at his candy-apple counterpart*
> 
> Y/n- *Tries a bite of said counterpart*
> 
> Sans- (ºДº) is.. is she gonna eat me?


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to AmyScarlet who contributed quite a lot of her own writing to this chappie ^.^

_“heh paps used to be so cute. i’d have to read him a bedtime story every night or he couldn’t get to sleep, but then we came to the surface and he decided he was too old to be reading ‘peek-a-boo with fluffy bunny’.”_

_“GAAAHHH SANS, STOP TELLING HER EMBARRASSING FACTS ABOUT ME! OF ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS YOU COULD SAY, YOU CHOOSE TO TELL HER ABOUT MY BEDTIME ROUTINES!? HOW COULD YOU!” Papyrus stomps his foot in protest, you can almost see steam coming out of his ear holes._

_Giggling, you say, “It’s okay Papyrus, I’ve actually got a book that I read every night as well! It’s called, ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ written by Dr. Seuss. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of him, but in my opinion he’s one of the best children’s authors out there.”_

_You smile, now that you’re older you read the story alone, but growing up your mom would read it with you every night. Sometimes you’d switch it out for different titles, but you always came back to that same book. When you were younger, the fun rhymes and silly words held your attention, but as the years passed you started to understand the message it was sending you and hope that when you’re all grown up you can learn something from those messages._

_“I’VE NEVER HEARD OF A DR. SEUSS, ONLY DR. ALPHYS! DO YOU THINK SHE MIGHT KNOW HIM?” Papyrus asks sincerely, what a sweetheart!_

_“Well I’m not sure, why don’t you go ask her?” You say with a chuckle, he’s such a pure soul. You watch as he jumps from his seat and runs off to find his friend._

_“i don’t think he’s going to have much luck with alphys, she’s more into that anime stuff than some kids books.” Sans says with a smile pointed in the direction his brother just ran off in._

_You turn to look at him, eyes half-lidded and say, “No, probably not, but it does give us a little privacy.”_

*****

You wake up to the sound of your alarm blaring on the table next to you, curse this self imposed torture device for interrupting such a good dream. Sleepily, you reach over and hit the snooze button, hoping to close your eyes and return to that wonderful—

Your eyes snap open, _holy sugarskulls!_ Did you just have a dream about _SANS!!??_ Sitting up, you start going over what you remember. 

Okay, so Sans was definitely there, you blush, but what else happened? You think you can vaguely recall Papyrus being in the dream, but what in the world was going on! 

You try your best to remember what else occurred in the dream, but your thoughts keep drifting to what happened between you and Sans just before you woke up.

Your face heats up even more and you slap your cheeks trying to concentrate. Surely there was _something_ else that happened, why in the world would you dream about him in that way? 

Suddenly a thought pops into your head, it must have been because of the blush! Your mind must have been thirsty for attention after all these years alone, so it was conjuring up all sorts of crazy images. Yea, that’s it! 

You have no reason to feel guilty about what just happened, it was a dream that you only half remember, it’s not like it’s going to go anywhere.

Hmm… _go anywhere_ … OH! You just remembered a book being brought up in your dream, ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go.’ It’s a book you used to read when you were younger, but after the accident you packed it away with all of the other items that brought back too many memories of your family. You had intended to read it with your little brother, but when you lost them you couldn’t bear to look at it anymore, so you packed it away as if burying it would make the memories disappear. 

With a sigh, you hop out of bed to get ready for your day. There’s no point in dwelling on it now, you’ve given yourself a good distraction from the embarrassing thoughts you had about Sans so it’s time to move on. 

You manage to get through breakfast with Papyrus just fine, but the entire walk to work he wouldn’t stop talking about how proud he was that Sans was going to be a productive member of society again instead of a couch potato and how he really, _really_ wanted to check up on him, but that would be an invasion of his privacy and Sans had finally given Papyrus space so he should respect his and not go to the gardens. _Today._

You roll your eyes in humor, these two are a couple of peas in a pod. You’re proud of Sans as well, but you think he’ll do just fine on his own. After all, Papyrus did say that Sans raised him when they were kids, so he’s clearly got some notion of what he’s doing. 

When the two of you make it to the bakery, you see you’ve already got an order for delivery this afternoon. It seems the little old lady, Mrs. Marsh, has another request for you. Her grandson just received a promotion and she wants to throw an impromptu party for him. The pies you had made before were a big hit apparently, so now she wants you to bake the cake for her. 

“Alright Papyrus, we’ve got an order for delivery, so I’ll go ahead and start on this one if you want to get the muffins prepared.” 

“YES MA’AM!” He salutes.

Nothing like a tasty cake to distract you from your traitorous thoughts of Sans.

*****

It’s a good thing that hotdogs aren’t a breakfast item because Sans didn’t roll out of bed until 11 this morning. Now he’s sitting at his hot dog stand, skull propped up by his elbow, waiting on customers to ~~not~~ come by. 

_The past few nights have been… nice,_ he thinks to himself, it felt pretty great having his brother praise him so much. It almost made him feel needed again, like when they were kids, and joking with the human about her first taste of his ‘dogs was fun. Then she had to go and make some new recipe, just because she saw him blush… 

He smiles at the thought of her, she’s got a pretty decent sense of humor. She always laughs at his puns, she made a dessert based on his face, and instead of getting angry with him for the barking hotdog, she laughed it off _and tried a hotcat to boot!_ And the way she smiled up at him after hearing it meow…

He shakes his skull, what the hell is he thinking? He’s acting like some lovesick puppy. So she laughs at his jokes and ate his food, that doesn’t make her a good person, just a good actress. He’s not going to forget that she’s hiding something, and he’s willing to bet whatever it is, is behind that locked door.

But how is he going to get in there? He tried getting a peek from the windows, but all of the curtains are drawn and he couldn’t see anything. Searching her room for the key left him empty handed, but it’s possible he wasn’t thorough enough, so he’ll have to try again when he searches the rest of the house, she’s got to be keeping it somewhere. 

Pulled from his thoughts by an approaching monster, he sits up straight and warily watches them approach.

“Good afternoon Sans, I didn’t know you had opened your hotdog stand again.”

He takes a moment to look her over, she’s cleaned up significantly since the underground. Her fur has been washed so it shines a brilliant white and her eyes don’t have quite the crazy gleam they used to, “eh just started it up, _goata_ say, it feels good to be workin again. how ya doin tori?”

She doesn't even smile at his pun, _this must be serious_ , “Quite well, thank you for asking, Aliza and I have found a house in the countryside that is a significant improvement from those apartments we used to live in, ghastly rooms they were. How are you? I haven’t seen you in quite a while, Papyrus stops by every so often but you’re never with him. You aren’t avoiding us, are you?”

Sans sweats slightly, well yea he’s been avoiding them, he’s been avoiding everyone. “no, jus been busy tryin to make ends meet. ya know how it is.”

She narrows her eyes at him, “Mmhmm, I’m sure that’s why. Well no matter, Aliza’s birthday is coming up soon and I would appreciate it if you would actually attend this year. I don’t want to hear another poor excuse from Papyrus, he’s not very good at lying and you shouldn’t put him in that position.”

Sans sinks into his chair as Toriel chastises him, “sorry tor, i’ll uh, i’ll be there.” 

“Excellent, well since I’m here already why don’t you give me one hotcat.”

“comin right up.” He pulls out the hotcat and hands it over to Toriel.

“Thank you Sans, have a wonderful day. I’ll let Papyrus know the details of the party, you just make sure to show up this year.” She says with a wave as she walks away.

“yea yea.” He mumbles grumpily. He doesn’t really want to see the brat and that damn annoying flower that’s always attached to her, but now he knows Papyrus won’t let him skip because the former Queen herself 'requested his presence.'

With a sigh, he spends the rest of the afternoon serving the few customers that aren’t afraid of him, _emphasis on few that were probably sent over by blu anyway_ , and plans his next move concerning the human. 

He should have kept his distance like he had planned, he was doing a great job at playing nice in front of Paps while avoiding any actual interaction with her, but for some reason seeing her in the echo caves had triggered something inside of him. He didn’t mean to shortcut in front of her, it just sort of… _happened_ , and he was too late to fix his mistake because she nearly ran right into him! 

Everything that happened afterwards was still...well suffice to say, he let his guard down and she wormed her way into his mind, now he’s having all these conflicting emotions and he _hates it_. He needs to find something incriminating soon or he might just convince himself that he had her pegged all wrong, and he can’t have that. ~~Wouldn't it be better if he were wrong? Is it really so bad to hope that maybe this time...~~

Maybe he should follow her again, besides she's almost as prone to attracting troublesome people as paps. The day of his bros interview might have been the first, but since then it hasn't been the only time he had to deal with unsavory types that weren't too happy with her hiring a monster. Checking the time, he sees they should be closing up the shop to make their deliveries soon, and he’d bet G that Papyrus is going to rush back to the house to wait for him so he can find out how the day went, _he’s so cool._

That means that she’s going to be doing the deliveries alone, he’s made a few sales today that he can boast about when Paps questions him, so he quickly packs up the cart (not that it takes much effort) and shortcuts to his old spot on the roof across from the bakery. Just as he suspected, Papyrus is waving goodbye to her as they part in opposite directions. 

Alright, _Y/n_ , let’s see what you’ve got going on today. Sans keeps to the shadows, following her as she makes her way down the sidewalk pulling a small wagon stacked with boxes behind her. Looks like it's one of her farther clients today. Eventually she stops by a large office building and he can't follow her inside without being noticed so he takes up watch across the street in the shadows of an alcove, out of the way of judgmental or fearful stares from the bustling afternoon crowds.

As he waits, his thoughts keep wandering to the whys and what ifs. She has been working with Papyrus for about a month and a half now. That's an awful long time to put on an act, especially at such close proximity and with him being the way he is surely he should have sensed something by now. Sure she seems to have some baggage and painful secrets locked away but he hardly has the right to be throwing stones with his past. Paps and her really seem to get along, he hadn't seen his brother so consistently, ~~genuinely~~ happy and relaxed in a long time. Not even when he was at cutlery school, although it was a large improvement.

Why was he so determined to see her as a bad guy when all the evidence so far says otherwise? A group of older laughing teens start to pass by his hidden alcove, closer than others have been so he shifts slightly to be more in the shadows. He sees one near the middle of the group with a mop of brown hair hesitate and almost stumble, for a moment he thinks they might have seen him but the group continues past.

Turning back to his thoughts, he's just so...tired, tired of being this way . Maybe, just maybe it would be oka-!!!!!! He gasps as his head wound starts throbbing as well as a brief searing pain across his chest.

_"There's the glimmer of a good person inside of you. The memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing...Yeah...You're the type of person who won't EVER be happy...Don't say I didn't warn you."_

Desperately trying to catch his breath as the throbbing dies down, he sinks farther into the shadows while keeping an eye on the door and seeing if anyone nearby took notice of him. Nope, looks like he is in the clear. There is a faint feeling of having missed some important detail in the back of his mind but he quickly dismisses it. He rubs his skull gingerly, _Oh yeah_ the last time he trusted someone they put a giant hole in his head, thanks for that reminder! He sighs, but then there is another nagging thought in the back of his mind, although this one seems a little more persistent. _Trust_...oh! The nice cream wrapper from a few days ago, what did it say again? Some BS about trusting someone to find out if they are trustworthy. The memory of his brothers delighted but mischievous laughter and y/n's smothered giggles as they show off the blushing candy skulls comes to mind as well. Safe. Happy. You know what, SCREW IT! He is the judge for stars sake, it's about time he gave this girl a fair chance.

Right as he comes to his decision, two girls coming out of the novelty shop next door catch his eye. One pulls a pin out of her bag from the shop and puts it on her shirt. A small smiling cupcake with spider legs and fangs on it. Monsters and sweets, guess that was the world's hint that he should put a _pin_ in his worries. Glancing at the office building again Sans shortcuts into the shop. Looking around he sees a box with pins for 50 cents on the counter, he grabs that pin then hands the startled cashier a dollar and shortcuts back to his post.

It's definitely been longer than usual even for a large delivery. Why is she taking so long? It feels like she's been in there forever, should he risk it and go inside to check on her... Before he makes a decision, she rushes back outside. She looks... uncomfortable? He doesn't have long to mull that over as she starts to make her way back in the direction of the bakery. She still has one more box in the wagon though, so why is she going back the way she came? Every other time he's followed her on deliveries she started with the closest and worked her way out. Maybe she got the order wrong and made too much? Sticking to the roofs, he follows her as she makes her way closer to the bakery, but a few blocks before she gets there she stops at a large duplex. 

_Guess she just missed it on the way there,_ he thinks. Sans settles in and watches from a distance as she rings the doorbell and waits for the owner to answer. He pulls out the pin to look at it. It isn't much, just a silly cheap trinket, but it suits her and after their rocky start a peace offering most certainly couldn't hurt. Papyrus would be so proud. His grin softens a bit with nostalgia. Once upon a time he considered himself to be a fair judge, he has changed a lot since then but...well, even the worst person can change right? He turns his attention back to Y/n as the door finally opens, but what he sees has time slowing to a halt. The world can be a cruel place and life's not fair, of anyone you think he would have learned that by now. The little pin slips through his fingers as the world seems to drop away and his eyelight extinguishes at the sight of _**HiM.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger? what cliffhanger? >.>


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who hasn't already assumed so, AmyScarlet is definitely a LARGE part of how this story is turning out. She's inserting her own pieces to improve the storyline and I just want to make sure everyone knows how awesome she is ^.^

“See you at home Papyrus!” You say as Papyrus runs off waving goodbye.

You’re on your own for deliveries today, Papyrus was so excited to find out how Sans did that you could hear his bones rattling all day. You’ve only got two deliveries, but one is a big order for an office party downtown so your wagon is stacked full of boxes.

You’ve got to do a little backtracking later because Mrs. Marsh had requested you make her delivery later than normal as she wouldn't be home for a few more hours, so your first stop is the office. The manager had requested an order of two dozen cookies, a full order of double fudge brownies, a dozen blueberry muffins, and half a dozen plain bagels. 

There isn’t a cloud in sight as you make your way downtown; the sun is shining and you let the warm rays soak in as you approach the office. You’ve become the exclusive caterer to these office parties and the employees here are all familiar with you, so stepping through the large glass doors you give a smile and wave to the security guard then head towards the elevators.

You don’t hate a lot of things, but elevator music has definitely made it to your list of dislikes. Thankfully you’re only going up five stories so the ride isn’t completely unbearable, but the second the doors slide open you rush out of the music box of doom as quickly as your legs will allow. 

“Good Afternoon! I’ve got an order for Mr. Baxter here.” The receptionist looks up from her computer and gives you a smile.

“Oh my, is that chocolate I smell?” She says with an exaggerated sniff of the air.

“That would be the double fudge brownies, I made them last hoping they’d still be warm and gooey just for you.” Giving her a wink, you start unloading the boxes of treats onto her desk. “I wouldn’t try sneaking one just yet, Mr. Baxter knows how many he ordered but I’ll leave these with you so you can be first in line.”

“Thanks Y/n, you’re a doll!”

“Enjoy!” You give her one last smile and wave then turn to leave but as you’re turning, you accidentally bump into someone.

“Oh shoot, I’m sorry! Are you alright?” The man you’ve bumped into doesn’t look too happy at first, his dark features twisting into a scowl, but when he looks at your face he seems to change his tune.

Schooling his face into a smile, he runs a hand through his slicked brown hair and says, “It’s no problem little lady, accidents happen. Have I seen you around here before? I’m Sebastian.” 

Extending his hand for you to shake, you hesitantly take it and introduce yourself, “I’m Y/n, I was just dropping off an order for Mr. Baxter so you may have seen me around.” The handshake seems to drag on as you realize your hand is trapped in his and he doesn’t seem eager to drop it, so you pull it back as nicely as you can without offending him, “I’ve uhm, got another delivery to make so I should get going. Sorry again for bumping into you!”

You quickly make your way back to the elevator, you feel bad for bumping into him but the way he let that handshake linger rubbed you the wrong way. Unfortunately for you it seems he’s the persistent type, “Why don’t I escort you to the lobby Miss Y/n.”

“Oh no that’s not… necessary.”" You try to insist, but he’s already stepping into the elevator and the doors are closing before you can stop him. Why does it feel like the ride down is going to be much longer than the ride up? 

“So Miss Y/n, I don’t have much time here so I’ll get straight to the point, you’re absolutely breathtaking and I would love to take you to dinner sometime.”

Oh stars here we go, “Oh that’s very kind of you but I have to say no.”

“Oh come on, I’m just talking about an innocent dinner between two attractive individuals.” He says as he leans against the elevator panel. “Oops! It seems I’ve pressed a few buttons, _sorry about that._ ”

Pressed a few buttons… he managed to hit all of them! You’ll have to stop on the next three floors with this creep, there’s no way that was an accident. The elevator stops at the fourth floor and you stand in uncomfortable silence until the doors close again.

“Now as I was saying, we don’t have to do dinner. Maybe we could grab a coffee or lunch sometime?”

“I’m sorry sir—”

“Sebastian.”

“… I’m sorry _sir,_ but I’m actually very busy and I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate me having breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, or even a quick cookie with ‘an attractive individual’” You finger quote, “so I’m going to have to pass.” The doors open and close on the third floor and for a brief moment you think maybe you should have just gotten off the elevator.

“Boyfriend huh? Well that is a shame,” He takes a step closer to you, backing you up against the wall, “I was hoping we could get to know one another.” He’s got the sleaziest smile painted on his face and you’re reminded of that day in the alley, this guy wouldn’t try something in an elevator at his own office would he??

Swallowing the rising panic you say, “Sir, you’re getting a little too close and you’re making me extremely uncomfortable, if you don’t step back now I’m going to have to report this to your manager.” 

Thankfully the idea of his manager finding out seems to affect him, taking a step away from you he continues, “That won’t be necessary Miss Y/n, I was only being friendly.”

Friendly… _riiight._ You have nothing more to say to him so you keep a steady glare straight ahead, avoiding eye contact as the doors open and close on the second floor.

“Now, I understand you have a _boyfriend,_ but surely he wouldn’t mind if he were to be invited as well?” Your face pales as you realize he’s trying to call your bluff. You have no obligation to talk to this man, let alone go on a date with him but you know his type, he’s persistent and who knows what will happen if you outright refuse him.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all, but we’re very private people.” Next time you have to deliver here, maybe you could convince Papyrus to pose as your boyfriend and scare this guy off…

“Right, I’m sure you are.” Finally, the doors open on the first floor and you high tail it out of the elevator as if your life depended on it. “Give your boyfriend my best Miss Y/n, and do consider my offer.”

As if! You quickly make your way out of the office and back into the sunshine, happy to be away from that awful man. You can’t believe the nerve of that guy to corner you in the elevator like that! A part of you doubts that you’re the first person he’s ever done that to, someone should really put him in his place.

No matter, you’re free from that suffocating man and hey, at least his revolting act distracted you from the unbearable elevator music. You’re okay, you’re outside in the fresh air and next time you come here you’ll have Papyrus with you. Maybe you’ll even mention that little incident to Mr. Baxter, just to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

You start walking towards your next delivery, by the time you get to Mrs. Marsh’s she should be home to get her order. Apparently, her grandson works at the local animal shelter and she requested a dog shaped cake which you were more than happy to do. You even took the liberty of making it resemble Daisy, which Mrs. Marsh wouldn’t recognize but it still made your day to put her happy face on a cake. 

Distracting yourself with thoughts of your furry friend back home, the walk to Mrs. Marsh’s passes quickly and before long you’re approaching her home and knocking on the front door. You take her cake out of the wagon and wait for her to answer, but when the door opens you’re greeted with a different face instead.

“Y/n?”

“Hi yes I’m… wait, _Drake_? Is that you? Oh wow! I almost didn’t recognize you!” You’re shocked to see your old friend from high school at the door.

“Y/n!” Drake opens his arms wide and pulls you in for an awkward hug around the cake box, “Damn, I haven’t seen you in years! How are you these days?”

Wiggling out of his grasp, you say “I’m great! I uh, actually own the bakery Mrs. Marsh ordered this cake from.” You say, holding the box up.

“Oh yea she’s inside, I’ll go ahead and take that. Wait, does that mean you baked those pies she ordered last week?” He asks as he takes the cake from you.

“I sure did! With some help from my wonderful assistant of course.”

“Man those pies were awesome! If this cake is even _half_ as good, then I don’t think I’m letting grams keep the leftovers” He says with a deep laugh.

You smile, you love it when people enjoy your baking, “Thanks Drake! We’ve also got freshly baked items available at the shop as well, so it’s not limited to strictly delivery. If you want to stop in for a muffin or something, you should!”

“Yea I’ll have to look the place up, maybe I can drop in on my way to work one day and we can catch up.”

“That would be great.” You say with a genuine smile, he doesn’t seem to have changed much since high school, “well I should get going, I hope you enjoy the cake!”

“Who’s at the door dear? Oh!” Mrs. Marsh sees you from farther down the hall and gives you a warm smile, “Y/n! It’s so good to see you sweetheart, you must be tired from all that walking, come in, come in!”

“O-oh okay. Uhm, just for a minute though, I should get home to—”

“Of course, of course! Just a spot of tea and then you’re out of here sweetie, now come come!” 

Well... a cup of tea does sound nice. After a quick glance around the area you decide to leave your wagon outside and you enter her home. You follow the two of them into the living room where Mrs. Marsh takes the cake box from Drake and urges you to sit down while she gets the tea started.

“Heh, sorry about her, she can be a little pushy.” Drake says sheepishly.

“It’s alright! It’s been... a long day, so something warm to drink and some friendly company sounds great.” After escaping that sleaze ball you could use a conversation with someone decent, although the memory sends an unpleasant shiver down your spine.

“Everything okay?”

“Yea it’s fine, I just ran into a pushy customer that put me in a sort of… uncomfortable position.” _‘I was hoping we could get to know one another.’_ His slimy voice rings through your head and you can’t help but wonder how far that man would have been willing to go.

“Someone I need to beat up for you?” Drake says in a half-mocking tone.

“Pfft, if I remember right, wasn’t it me who beat up anyone hassling you?” You say with a wink and a playful jab at his shoulder.

“That was _one_ time!! Haha! But man, that guy couldn’t believe it when you poured milk all over him! I wouldn’t say it was actually considered beating him up though—”

“Hey, it got my point across didn’t it?” You laugh. It’s been so long since you talked to Drake like this, you can’t believe how much you missed it! The three of you had been so close once upon a time, how could you let so much time pass without talking to _anyone?_

“Yea yea short-stack, whatever you say.”

“Oh my stars, I haven’t heard that nickname in so long! Ugh, don’t ever repeat that again!” For just a moment you thought you saw his face cloud over but it was gone in a blink replaced with a genuine smile. 

“But it suits you so well! It’s definitely because of the pancake reference and has absolutely nothing to do with—pfft—your height.”

“You couldn’t even say that with a straight face. You’re the worst.” You give him your best deadpan face before the two of you burst into laughter.

“Alright you two, tea’s ready!!” Mrs. Marsh comes in with a tray full of small snacks and tea, and the three of you spend some time chatting about how things have been going since school. It’s really nice to sit here with Drake and catch up, it reminds you of a time when things didn’t feel so heavy.

Why have you been holding on to this grief for so long? Plenty of people lose their loved ones every day and they move on… Why can’t you just let go of the past and try to be happy? Why did you have to push everyone away…

“Alright, I really should get going but thank you so much for the tea! It was great catching up.” You place your teacup on the tray and stand to leave. It's been great catching up with your old friend but you're starting to feel that familiar pressure in your chest and it will only get worse if you don't leave soon. 

“Oh it’s no problem sweetheart! Drake will walk you out, I do hope you’ll stop by again sometime!”

You give Mrs. Marsh a smile and wave as you and Drake head to the front door. As you step outside you turn to say goodbye but before you have a chance, he grabs your arm and stops you.

“Look Y/n I’m… I’m sorry for not checking in on you more after… ya know?” He says awkwardly, “It’s just things got really crazy with school and then…” He chokes at the last bit, so you don’t know what he was trying to say but you don’t want him to feel guilty.

“Hey look, I’m not upset with you for living your own life? I’m fine. I’m here aren’t I?” You give a half-hearted smile as you reach out to squeeze his arm, “You don’t need to feel bad about anything, life goes on whether we want it to or not, all that matters is what we make of it.”

He looks down at you with a mixture of emotions you can’t read, before leaning down for another awkward hug; this one you return.

“Just don’t forget to stop in for that muffin, okay?” you joke lightly. Yea.... maybe it is time to let a few more people in.

“I will. See you soon Y/n.” He gives you a wave goodbye that you return as you grab your wagon and walk away.

Well that was a nice surprise, back in school, you had been really close to Drake when he dated your best friend, Sarah. The last you had heard, they were trying to make a long distance relationship work from separate colleges. Briefly, you wonder what she might be up to these days, with all of these other changes in your life, should you maybe try to reach out to her again? 

With a deep sigh, you think she probably wouldn’t want to speak to you after all this time and you shouldn’t disrupt her life simply because you’re finally pulling your head out of the sand. Maybe you can ask Drake if he’s still in touch with her, if he ever stops by the bakery that is. You shudder as you’re reminded of what Dr. Alphys had done, and quickly throw that option off the table. You shouldn’t try to get info about Sarah from someone else, it’s unfair to her. 

You’re jolted from your thoughts when a bony hand lands on your shoulder, _hard_ , and the world around you turns black and cold before you find yourself stumbling forward in an area different from where you just were.

Your stomach is doing somersaults, so you crouch down trying to get it to settle while you glance at your new surroundings. You realize that you’re now on a rooftop and you aren’t alone, behind you stands Sans and he doesn’t look happy. Both of his eyesockets are now a blank void, one appears to have been chipped somehow and the look he’s giving you sends a chill down your spine.

“Uhm, Sans, what’s uh… what’s going on?” You ask nervously. With _both_ of his eyesockets now devoid of light, he looks more intimidating than usual.

Silently, he takes a step forward, slowly closing the gap between the two of you. Grabbing your chin between his thumb and forefinger, he pulls your face closer as he leans down, “ya almost had me fooled ya know.”

“W-what?” He’s so close, you can feel his hot breath on your face.

“yea, ya’ve sure got some real sweet words, trap more flies with honey, _right_?” he sneers down at you. “so tell me, _y/n,_ what the hell is it yer plannin?”

Planning? Confused, you ask, “What are you talking about Sans?”

“i _saw_ you with _him,”_ he says quietly with narrowed eyesockets still devoid of light, _“_ i know yer up to something. now i ain’t gonna ask you again, what. the. hell. _are. you. planning.”_ his voice vibrates through your bones, tone getting deeper with every word and his grip on your chin tightening painfully.

Him??? Is he talking about Drake? Why would he be upset about him? “Sans, are you talking about Drake? He’s an old friend from school, we aren’t planning anything, he just—"

“ _stop_ \-- _!”_ He shouts in a deep but slightly strangled voice, making you jump as he reaches up with the hand not holding you to clutch at the gaping hole in his skull. You think you see his eyesocket flash blue and yellow, but before you can blink it’s back to an empty black abyss. 

"you _humans_ really are something else." He practically growls. "just how _stupid_ do you think i am? i saw you looking around to see if anyone noticed ya before headin' inside. i know yer hidin somethin, it can’t be a coincidence that you happen to know that _prick,_ that you just so happened to show up when ya did. did he call ya once he had played his part and set the stage for you to swoop in?the two of you got some game goin? s’that it? ya wanna toy with the monsters, hurt ‘em, threaten ‘em, then turn around and give ‘em some twisted sense of _security_. what’s the endgame here? gain our trust and raise our hope then dust us once our defenses are well and truly down?”

“ _Dust you!?_ Excuse me?!” He did not just accuse you of trying to hurt him and Papyrus. Gathering your courage, you straighten your back and rip your face from his grasp; at the same time trying to knock his arm away and managing to hit him across the ribs due to the angle and proximity., “Now you listen here, I would _never_ do _anything_ to hurt you or Papyrus, I don’t know what you think is going on here but I don’t appreciate you accusing me of something so horrid! I had an order to deliver to Drake’s grandmother and he just _happened_ to be there. I haven’t seen that man since high school! I don’t know what happened between you two but you need to leave me—" You stop mid-sentence at the look Sans is giving you. The hand that had been grasping his skull was now clenched over where you had slapped him across the ribs. Something about the way he’s staring sends a chill down your spine and you lose that small spark of courage you had found.

Suddenly he is several feet away. He slowly unclenches his hand from his shirt and stares at it. Then...the laughter starts, quiet and soft at first but getting more intense as it goes until sans is doubled over by it. A horrible, manic, hopeless, broken sound. Until it abruptly stops.

He straightens back up and you see his sockets are now closed. He sighs and begins to speak. "You've been busy, huh kiddo? So, I've got a question for you. Do you think even the worst person can change? That everybody can be a good person, if they just try?" He pauses a moment. "Heh, heh, heh, heh...all right. well here's a better question. _Do you want to have a bad time?_ "

You don't know what to say, stars for that matter you don't even know IF you should say anything! His voice is so clear, any time you’ve heard him speak before he’s had a slight slur, but now he’s speaking so clearly that it’s disconcerting. This is obviously some sort of PTSD moment, and you don’t want to risk anything by interrupting it. Sans must be caught in some memory and has mistaken you for someone else. You’ve never dealt with this before, and you don’t know how to bring him out of it. So you just stay still and stare apprehensively at him, maybe if you stay quiet and out of the way he'll forget you're here.

He sighs again. "Welp. Sorry, old lady, this is why i never make promises. It's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming...On days like these, kids like you..."Finally he opens his sockets again and looks at you. They are still black voids but for just a moment you thought he looked confused before he shakes his head slightly and continues in a voice so sinister it gives you goosebumps."Let's just get to the point."

Suddenly, the world around you starts to drain of color and you feel a strange tugging sensation in the center of your chest. As the world goes black, save for Sans across from you, you see a light start to emerge from your chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MUAHAHA!! It's a shame that HistoricallyDragon couldn't crack the lock on my safe to bust out the spoiler queen, AmyScarlet, because here we are with another cliff hanger >:3
> 
> Also, I'd love to note that this chapter is the reason I had to do an edit on chapter 7 way back when. Thanks to a comment from Melodyofthesea78 about Drake's character, I decided to do a complete overhaul of his background. This led to background stories for other characters background stories and it got completely out of hand, I ended up with characters that were never meant to be in the story (but they totally end up making it better in the end) so please, COMMENT! Give us theories, suggestions, or even small little conversations because you never know what we might end up throwing in ;)


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again that this was late! 
> 
> As you can see, I've made AmyScarlet a co-creator and this chapter has a very good chunk written by her ^.^ (action scenes are not my forte...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS!!!! We hit over 500 kudos!
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH <3 I can feel all the love and am overflowing with joy X3 
> 
> It's crazy how much this story has grown and I couldn't be happier, this is all thanks to your love and support and I hope you continue to enjoy!

With a small ‘pop’, a cartoonish heart emerges from your center and you can’t peel your eyes away from it. It’s beautiful, and for a moment you forget what’s happening as you’re lost in the swirls of dim wispy orange that seems to ripple through the bright yellow heart like colored smoke.

The moment doesn’t last though, as it sinks in that this heart came from inside of you. Is this thing supposed to be your _soul_!? Isn’t that important? Why is it suddenly _outside of your body_ , and why is everything black except for this heart and Sans?

Frantically you look around at the surrounding darkness, everything seems to have disappeared. Where are you and what is happening? With wide eyes you look over at Sans and see his sockets are still empty, but he looks…confused, frustrated even. Sweat beads his brow, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Between you and Sans are some glowing lines that make up a square and directly in front of you, you notice something you hadn’t before. Under the heart, there seems to be a bar with the letters HP next to it and four floating boxes with the words **FIGHT** , **ACT** , **ITEM** , and **MERCY**.

What the hell is this, some kind of game? Fight…you don’t want to fight!! Act…are you putting on some sort of play you didn’t know about? Item…Mercy…what do these mean!? And the HP, is that your health? You have 62, what happens when it hits 0??

You try to run away. You don’t know what’s happening but you don’t feel safe, you need to **run!** But you find yourself rooted to the spot. You strain against the force that is keeping your feet fixed in place and as your panic begins to rise you notice the **MERCY** box glow brightly before all four boxes disappear and two new words appear. 

***Spare**

***Flee**

**Flee** , yes that's exactly what you would like to do if you could just get your _stupid_ feet to work _,_ you think as you continue to struggle. A moment later the flee option starts glowing then the two words disappear like the others did. The lines of the glowing square that was between you and Sans rush towards you until you're within their boundaries. As soon as you're within the new square you feel the force that was keeping you in place disappear.

You run to the right and just as you are about to cross the line on what qualifies for ground in this black void, you see a brief flash of blue and yellow in your peripheral. On the next step when your soul is right above the line it glows and you are shunted back to the middle of the square.

***This is not a problem you can run from.**

You stare in dismay at the words that appear much like the words your soul projects when you read item descriptions from the boys dimensional box. Then you hear a strained chuckle. 

“Heh, did you think I’d let you get away so easy? I don’t know how you got the first turn but guess that means I’m dealing with a dirty cheater. Anyway looks like it’s my turn so here we go.”

His eyesocket seems to flash and suddenly the colorful heart in front of you turns a deep blue and you feel a massive weight pulling you down, as if someone turned the gravity up and you struggle to stay upright. Sans raises an arm and from underneath your feet bones shoot up from the ground to impale you. You scream but as soon as the bones touch you, you feel a brief burning sensation then the bones disappear. It wasn’t pleasant but it was a far cry from the stabbing pain you were expecting from getting impaled. Before you have a chance to process, your soul goes back to normal as you see Sans fling his arm to the side and two rows of large bones with a winding path in the middle appear from thin air quickly flying in your direction.

You start running left and right trying to stay on the path free of bones, the small heart following your movements. You somehow manage to swivel your way in between the two walls of bone but you’re not quite fast enough to avoid them all and several times the protruding bones right before the path curves slam into you, passing right through your clothes and briefly sizzling against your skin before disappearing, your soul flashing for a few seconds each time you are hit.

The bones finally stop coming so you bend over gasping for breath, but as you do so you feel a great deal of magic gathering in several places around you. Your limbs lock up and you get the feeling that you’re definitely not ready to handle whatever is coming next.

Looking up at Sans in terror, staring into the voids that have been his eyes since this whole mess began, you see that look of confusion cross his features again and the gathering magic seems to falter. Then for just a moment one of his sockets stars to pulse with a faint red glow and his look of confusion morphs into doubt. He starts to reach up towards his skull before shaking his head and putting his hand back in his pocket. With a shrug and a blink the red glow is gone but so is the gathering magic you had felt.

You’re about to reach out to Sans, ask him what is going on when suddenly the square shrinks until you are outside its boundaries and you find yourself stuck in place again, unable to say anything.

***Sans is confused by the lack of sins that should be crawling on your back.**

You don’t even know where to begin with that tidbit from your soul but finally something clicks into place. You must be in an encounter, what had Papyrus said about encounters….Gah you’re too stressed to remember, was there anything useful? Something about souls…clearing up misunderstandings? As far as you were concerned it seemed to be doing the opposite of that. He didn’t go into detail though so you’re still at a loss for what’s going on or what you should do. Boy you wished you had asked more questions.

You take a couple deep breaths to try and steady yourself as the four, what you now know to be buttons, appear in front of you again. Noticing your HP is at 50/62, you reach your hand out towards **MERCY**.

***Spare**

***Flee**

….Well you already tried running, maybe you should ask him to **spare** you, so you select that option. Just one word appears this time.

***Sans**

Choosing his name you look up at Sans and finding your voice again you say “Why are you doing this!? Let’s just go home and talk with Papyrus." You’re trying to hold back the tears but this is all too much.

Some emotion you’re not quick enough to read flashes across Sans’ face before the square between you expands until you are in it again and free to move. For a moment nothing happens and Sans looks uncertain as you see flickers of red in his socket, like a candle in the wind. But then he closes his sockets and when he opens them, in place of his red orb or even the black voids of recent, is a glowing blue and yellow orb that you had only seen flashes of so far.

The look of uncertainty is replaced with determination and…you would almost guess a little bit of curiosity? Slowly he takes his hand out of his pocket and you feel gravity increase as your soul turns blue again. 

He glances at you then looks off to your left. Following his gaze you see a bunch of light blue colored bones pop up all over the left side of the square until they are about waist high, then they slowly start moving towards you.

You know that Papyrus’s green bones healed you and Sans’s white bones hurt a bit. You’re positive you don’t want to test what these blue ones will do, although as more and more pop up and begin moving slowly towards you, you aren’t sure that will be an option as it doesn’t look like Sans is leaving you an open path this time.

You back up until you reach the right side of the glowing square, which some detached part of your mind notes is more of a rectangle, and luckily instead of forcing you back to the middle it just seems to be a solid barrier now. Well…not that lucky as the waist high bones take up a solid third of the now rectangle.

They continue approaching until the ones at the front reach the half-way point then stop. You see that there is a clear space behind the layers and layers of bones. Heart pounding you look back at Sans. He's staring at you with that glowing blue and yellow orb and a raised bonebrow.

…No…he couldn’t really expect you to…not with his magic weighing you down…even under normal circumstances you couldn’t make that jump. He shrugs and the mass of colored bones start moving towards you again. 

SON OF A FLATULENT FUDGEBALL!!! He totally does. Momentarily forgetting your fear you glare at Sans. Looking back at the bones you feel something swell inside you. Well better to die trying than to not try at all. Some part of your brain tells you it would be better not to be in a situation where dying is a likely possibility. You tell it to be helpful or shut up.

Pushing off the barrier you run at the bones and take a giant leap. You give an elated shout of joy as you jumped higher than you ever thought possible in your wildest dreams. But that shout of joy quickly turns into a scream of terror as you look down and see that despite your height, you won’t clear the bones and make it to the other side. For that matter, at this height even if you did miss the bones you’d be in for a rough crash landing. How the flying fish did you even get up here!? You curl into a ball and squeeze your eyes shut as you brace for impact.

You wait, and wait, and wait, and for good measure you wait some more. But when still more nothing happens you open your eyes. Looking down you see…well nothing, as in a distinct lack of colored bones. You uncurl from your ball and your feet brush the ground. With a ping your soul returns to being yellow with orange swirls. 

“you…” Hearing Sans, you quickly straighten and turn to face him. Flashing blue and yellow eyelight quickly fading back into the black void of his socket, he looks absolutely gobsmacked.

“ya………why would.........………who……”

He just looks so lost and bewildered as he tries to form a coherent thought. After everything you’ve been through, you can’t help the laughter that bubbles up inside of you. The thought that he was as confused by this entire mess as you were had you doubled over in stitches. Probably wasn’t your brightest idea to seemingly laugh at a guy who apparently had so many _bones_ to pick with you., but you’re not sure any reaction could properly encompass what was happening today.

As your laughter dies down you notice the square was getting smaller again until you were outside it and back in front of the four glowing buttons.

***Can’t figure out what SANE person speeds up when seeing a stop sign.**

…What…WHAT?!?! Ok maybe you are the one that is insane here because the info your soul is giving you on the situation is so out there it got on a rocket to Jupiter and somehow still missed the mark.

Putting that in a box with everything else that makes no sense to be unpacked later, ~~assuming you live to see later,~~ you decide you still don’t want to **FIGHT** and have already tried both options under **MERCY** so you might as well see what **ACT** does **.**

***Sans**

Sans name pops up in yellow letters unlike the white text you have been seeing so far. Well at least it's different; you just hope it’s a good different. You choose his name.

***Check *Beg**

***Reason *Flirt**

_Flirt!?_ Well it hardly seems like the time for _that!_ Just put it in the box with everything else, you tell yourself.

You select **reason** and say, “Look, Sans just please snap out of it and lets end this! I don’t know what’s going on but you’re really,” You give a tired sigh, “I don’t even know any more so please, just _stop_ this!” 

Nothing happens for what seems like forever. Just Sans staring at you with an unreadable face in stony silence. Then you see a flicker of red again and the square expands to include you. Your shoulders sag in disappointment. You really thought you had gotten through to him that time. You’re not sure you can handle another round of…whatever he wants to throw at you this time. Probably more bones, your tired brain tries to helpfully supply.

But now you see that Sans’ red eyelight is back in earnest and he is looking around in, wouldn’t you know it, confusion…but this time you think it might be tinged with, was that, fear? Then his eyelight locks on you and his gaze travels down to your soul sitting in front of your chest. You feel a current run through your entire being and the red orb is blown wide. You meet his gaze and you see horror. Shear, undiluted, and naked horror in his eyelight.

You feel the square start to shrink to give you your turn again when with a jolt it stops and you tense as you feel a vast amount of magic gather. Suddenly the feeling is gone and so is Sans. You see one last text box appear.

***Sans fled**

You watch as the small cartoon heart floats back towards your chest, as if pulled by a string, and with another ‘pop’ it’s back inside of you and the world seems to come back as if the black bubble you were in had just popped. Shaking slightly, you wrap your arms around yourself and slowly sink to the ground taking deep breaths. 

One… two… three… he’s gone.

One… two… three… you’re not majorly hurt as far as you can tell, it’s okay, you made it out alive.

One… two… three…

……. _WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?_

*****

Shortcutting himself to the echo gardens and making sure no one is there, he slams his fist against the cave walls in frustration.

DAMN IT! He jumped the gun again; he needs to control his temper! What the hell was he doing? It’s all a blur… he remembers seeing her with the _Big Dick_ , confronting her about it and then, he lost it… there are bits and pieces of the encounter but it’s all too fuzzy to remember. He just remembers her being so _afraid_ of him. _~~Please don’t look at me like that.~~_

What was the point of all of this? To show his brother that the one human, excluding Aliza, who had finally been kind to him, was just like the rest? It would crush him…why would Sans _want_ to do that to his brother!?

How did all of this start, what had she done to make him think she was bad? He can typically pick up on bad intentions, and he’s never had that feeling around her… but, aren’t all humans bad? Wasn’t there a time when he trusted… _someone_ … and they had proven to be bad? Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!!! Why can’t he remember!

He starts hitting the side of his skull, think Sans, think! What the hell happened, why can’t he trust humans. Hell, he doesn’t even trust Aliza, he tolerates her because she freed the monsters, she’s proven that she wants to help. What the hell could have happened to him, that even the _savior_ of monsters doesn’t get a pass?

Damn Undyne for doing this to him, if he could just _remember_ why he hates humans so much…

***Y/n – 50/62 HP 0 ATK 0/28 DEF**

***Doesn’t understand what’s happening and just wants to go home.**

***Could really use a friend right now.**

***HeR gUaRd Is DoWn NoW.**

Slamming his fist against the cave wall, he lets out a growl in frustration. He just attacked her… she had been trying to help him and Papyrus and he _attacked her!_

Was it really just a coincidence that she ran into the _Big Dick_ today? It wasn’t even at his apartment… maybe she really was just making a delivery and he happened to be there…He thinks she mentioned she knew him from school, and he isn’t sure he can really fault her if _douche-nozzle_ had been at someone else’s house. It’s just too suspicious that she would _happen_ to know the guy that had gotten him and Papyrus into this situation in the first place. After all, if it weren’t for that asshole showing up, they wouldn’t have even needed to stay with her!

Stars, there he goes again, was he really so single minded that he _still_ hadn’t learned his lesson, even after pulling her into an encounter and terrifying her. Just the fact that she had _survived_ an encounter with the judge and came out looking relatively unscathed should be enough to knock even a little sense into his thick but broken skull and stick for more than a minute. Even with his foggy recollection of the situation he knows she made it through more than one turn. He should never have pulled her into that encounter, he should have kept calm and gotten the full story first. He was going to...he can't even remember what triggered him. Now he and Paps are going to end up on the streets, probably going to be hunted down by some anti-monster douchebags or something. ~~And she’ll probably have enough nightmare fuel for a lifetime.~~

He plops down into the dirt, he can’t go back right now, if she sees him she’ll surely kick the two out immediately, but maybe if she has a chance to talk to Paps first, they can settle something. Maybe send Sans away so Paps doesn’t have to be on the streets again… he doesn’t want that for his brother. ~~And he can still keep an eye on them from afar.~~

Pulling a monster candy out of his pocket and popping it into his mouth, he curls into a tight ball and decides to stay here for awhile…


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I know the world is crazy out there right now so I just wanted to say I hope all of you are keeping as safe as possible. (And hopefully have some toilet paper!) I hope this chapter is a good distraction for you.
> 
> I also want to mention that we are still so happy over all of the kudos we've gotten! It's just incredible, thank you all so much ^.^

Finally pulling yourself together you stand up to take in your surroundings. Looking around, you notice a small pile of… are those ketchup bottles? Has Sans been coming here regularly? Walking to the edge, you look around to see where you are and see the sign for The Great EsCake across the way.

Has he been watching you all this time? How old are these ketchup bottles? You know that he used to (or still does) follow Papyrus around, and now it’s clear that he’s followed you as well… but why?

Putting that aside for now, the fact remains that Sans scared the living hell out of you with the whole encounter thing, and you realize you need to know more about souls as soon as possible. Anything that can help you understand what just happened will be useful, which you can only do after getting off this roof in one piece. You glance around for a way down and see a door that hopefully leads to the stairwell. Pulling your wagon behind you, you pray to all the gods out there that it's unlocked as you reach for the handle and turn.... _drats, it's locked._ What did you expect? Nobody leaves their roof access unlocked. 

Examining the handle you notice it looks pretty rusted, with enough force you might be able to break it. Glancing around the roof you stop when you see a good sized rock covered in sprinkles near the pile of ketchup bottles, _perfect!_ Running over to grab the rock you take one more look at the ketchup bottles and now see a few bags of sprinkles mixed into the mess. You knew his choice of drink was...odd but to think he would rather eat sugar coated rocks than come into your bakery for a sweet treat was...disheartening to say the least. Shaking the thought from your mind you head back to the door and start banging the rock against the door handle, excited when the rusted metal starts to bend and after what feels like a lifetime, it finally breaks. Relieved, you drop the rock and pull the door open with a rusty creak. Thank goodness you made all of your deliveries already, trying to maneuver the wagon downstairs without ruining the desserts inside would have been an impossible feat. 

Carefully pulling the wagon behind you, you wince every time the wheels thump down against the steps. Could this day get any worse? First you have to deal with sleazeball Sebastian, *thump* then you run into Drake, *thump* which of course wasn't a _bad_ thing necessarily *thump* but it was surprising. *thump* Then finally *thump* you get pulled into an encounter *thump* and have to deal with _all_ the craziness *thump* that Sans threw your way *thump* and then he just _left you up here_! *thump thump thump* 

Making it to the bottom of the first flight of stairs, you peek your head through the door that leads into the main building. An elevator!! Thank the stars, you aren't sure how tall this building is but it's exhausting dragging the wagon down without running yourself over. Wagon in tow behind you, you make your way to the elevator and hit the button to take you to the first floor. When you finally make it down to sweet, solid ground, you decide to stop at the library in lieu of going home. 

It has nothing to do with the fact that you’re too nervous to face Sans right now…nope, not at all.

Heading towards the library, you can’t help but watch the rooftops warily. You wonder if he’s following you again, but you make it to your destination without any indications that someone was around. Looking up at the sign on the building, you notice it’s spelled ‘Librarby’ and you wonder if that’s a monster thing. You had made sure to find a monster run library so there would be more options on soul related books, but briefly you wonder if this place is legitimate.

You decide to take the chance and walk inside. Asking the lizard monster behind the front desk where you can find the selection on souls, he points you in the direction you need to go.

Browsing the selection, you notice most of these books appear to be student reports, interesting. You pull out an orange notebook and flip to one of the pages:

_Because they are made of magic, monsters’ bodies are attuned to their SOUL. If a monster doesn’t want to fight, its defenses will weaken. And the crueler the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us. Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill… Um, let’s end the chapter here…_

You blink your eyes in disbelief, what kind of school report is this? You feel a shudder down your spine at the thought of a human with cruel enough intentions being able to hurt a monster simply because they want to. Does that mean if you had wanted to hurt Sans you could have potentially… Nope, you put the book back and keep looking.

Scanning the shelves you try a dark green notebook next:

_Love, hope, compassion... This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. But the absolute nature of “SOUL” is unknown. After all, humans have proven their SOULs don’t need these things to exist._

Wow…you kinda hope this one is more towards the theory category instead of fact because if not, that’s really depressing on a few levels. Seriously, what teacher gives the kind of assignment that gets these kinds of reports as a result!?

Pulling out a red notebook next, you read:

_Monster funerals, technically speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person’s favorite thing. Then their essence will live on in that thing… Uhhh, am I at the page minimum yet? I’m kinda sick of writing this._

You giggle at the monster child’s words, why are there so many school reports at a library? 

Finally, you see a book that just might have what you’re looking for, _SOULs for Beginners. (That means you, human!)_ Monsters seem pretty straight-forward, you think as you open the book and skip the introductions to shoot straight for the human soul traits.

_Human SOULs are slightly more complex than monsters, so while a monster's SOUL typically shines a brilliant white, humans tend to come in several different colors depending on their main SOUL trait(s)._

_Red-Determination Orange-Bravery Yellow-Justice Green-Kindness_

_Blue-Integrity Cyan-Patience Purple-Perseverance_

_Now, human SOULs have all of these traits, although the ratio varies greatly from person to person, (with determination being the rarest primary trait,) but each soul has at least a minuscule amount, and is believed by some to be what gives a human SOUL the ability to persist for a period after death while a monsters SOUL will simply dust with its host. Typically the SOUL will be the color of your strongest trait but it is not uncommon for it to have the colors of a strong secondary trait or two mixed in. Now this doesn’t mean that humans can’t act contrary to their main trait(s). A Kindness SOUL can still be cruel, Bravery a coward, Integrity underhanded etc…but to do so will often damage the SOUL or could be a sign of past trauma as it is the core of who they are. The more in tune you are with yourself the brighter the color(s) of your SOUL will shine._

That’s interesting, your soul had been yellow and dim orange…Justice and…faded Bravery? Not wanting to delve too far into that personal rabbit hole right now, you continue flipping through the book until you find a section on encounters.

_Encounters work on a turn-based system; upon their turn, the host is given a series of Options: FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, or MERCY._

_FIGHT gives the host a chance to attack its opponent, the stronger the intent to hurt, the stronger the attack. This is where the differences between monsters and humans really come to light, as a human's SOUL is significantly more powerful than a monster's, thus their intent can do significantly more damage when combined with the fact that there is little difference between a monsters body and their SOUL._

_ACT gives the host an opportunity to do one of several actions, one of which is always to check the opponent. Checking an opponent gives an insight into the HP, ATK, and DEF of their SOUL, as well as a brief description of the opponents inner most feelings and intentions. Several other options will be made available to the host, but these options vary from opponent to opponent._

Wait…. What? You can check an opponent and see their inner feelings? Is that like some sort of mind reading trick? So could that mean that Sans checked you? Maybe he saw that you were actually telling the truth! This must be what Papyrus meant when he said souls could clear up misunderstandings. You hope that’s all he saw if he did check you… it makes you uncomfortable to imagine what kind of things your soul might have displayed.

_ITEM allows a host to use any items that they are carrying. If one is in an aggressive encounter this is an opportunity to use any healing items the host may be carrying, but other equipment may be used as distractions or gifts to resolve the encounter._

_MERCY is an option given to bring an end to an aggressive encounter. If both parties no longer wish to fight or act, then spare may be used to leave the encounter peacefully. You will know that the other party no longer wishes to fight when their name turns yellow. (Or pink if you are into that sort of thing.) Flee may be used to try and run from the encounter, but it is not always effective._

Well now you know what all of those boxes were, but you curse yourself for not learning all of this sooner, it certainly would have helped back there! You do have a few more questions, like what ATK and DEF are… and encounters are turn-based? It almost sounds like some sort of video game, could it be possible that video games are actually based off real experiences with monsters from back before they were sealed?

In any case, you’re conflicted about the knowledge that human souls are typically stronger than monster souls. It’s reassuring that you’d have the ability to protect yourself, but you don’t think you’d have the intent strong enough to do any real harm, even if it’s in self-defense. You’d rather clear the air and prevent any future encounters like that with Sans, hopefully this book can give you a few pointers, so you take it to the front desk to check out.

*****

Waking up from his nap in the echo caves, Sans sees that the sun has gone down and hopes that the human had enough time to go over things with Papyrus. Shortcutting his way back to the house, he slowly walks through the front door, checking around for any sign of her.

Hearing movement in the kitchen, he peeks around the corner to find Papyrus standing at the stove making what smells like a vegetable soup.

“heya bro.”

Papyrus turns around, startled, “AH SANS, YOU SNUCK UP ON ME! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I CAME HOME EARLY TO DISCUSS YOUR DAY AT WORK, AFTER LEAVING YOU A WHOLE 24 HOURS TO SETTLE IN, BUT IT SEEMS I MISCALCULATED HOW LONG YOU’D BE OUT ‘SLINGING ‘DOGS’ AS THE COOL KIDS SAY.”

He chuckles quietly, “heh i don’ think anyone says that paps, but uh… yea busy day.” ~~Busy trying to kill our roommate.~~

“I’M SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT! YOU’LL HAVE TO TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT OVER DINNER THIS EVENING! IT’S JUST THE TWO OF US THOUGH, Y/N HAS RETIRED TO HER ROOM FOR THE NIGHT, SHE WAS RATHER LATE THIS EVENING AS WELL.” Papyrus says as he turns back to his soup.

Here it is, the moment he’d been dreading, “oh yea, why’s that?”

“JUST A BUSY DAY I SUPPOSE, SHE MENTIONED A HICCUP IN HER DELIVERIES AND SAID SHE’S EXHAUSTED, SO SHE’S GOING TO BED EARLY. I FEEL AWFUL FOR LEAVING WITHOUT ASSISTING HER… BUT SHE INSISTED IT’S JUST THE LONG WORKDAYS CATCHING UP TO HER. SHE EVEN REFUSED TO EAT, CLAIMING SHE HAD STOPPED FOR SOMETHING ON THE WAY HERE. I HADN’T ANTICIPATED HER NOT JOINING US SO I HOPE YOU’RE HUNGRY BECAUSE I’VE MADE A RATHER LARGE BATCH OF VEGETABLE SOUP!”

She didn’t tell Papyrus what happened…….. Why would she do that?

Managing to give his brother a halfhearted smile, Sans says, “yea, i could eat.”

Pacifying his brother with embellished stories about his customers and successfully distracting him with mention of Toriel stopping by, Sans makes it through dinner and later that evening finds himself unable to sleep. He can’t stop thinking about the human’s motivation for keeping his outburst a secret, was she perhaps genuine when she said she cared ~~cares~~ about them?

He needs to get more information… an idea forms in his skull; maybe he could extend an olive branch and see if there is still a chance to fix the mess he's made.

*****

Having just finished reading some interesting things from your library book, you lay in bed looking up at the ceiling, going over everything that happened today. Where did all of that come from, things had been so great the last couple of days… you had thought the two of you had a good time at the gardens, (not to mention the whole thing with the sugerskulls) but maybe Sans was just trying to figure out if you wanted to kill him?

It hurts to know that he thinks so little of you and you can’t believe he accused you of trying to dust him and Papyrus when all you’ve ever done is try to be nice to the two of them. You know that you can be a bit… airheaded sometimes, and say things before you think about them (like, hey get a job person I just met officially that saved my life) but you’ve never done anything with malicious intent!

Are you going to have to spend the next… however long they’re here, trying to figure out his motives? What kind of future is that, constantly wondering if he’s following you, if he still thinks you want to dust him? ~~If he might just try to remove the cause of his uncertainty again?~~ If everything he says is just a cover for some intricate plan to uproot your nonexistent evil plots?

Hm… future… you look to the dimensional box in the corner, hadn’t that item said, ‘hope for a better future’?

You approach the box and open its lid, watching as a list of all your items is displayed across your soul. Reaching in to pull out the mysterious item, you see the soft yellow glow as you pull back your hand.

It’s so beautiful, fitting perfectly in the palm of your hand you admire the delicate star. You haven’t taken the chance to appreciate the beauty of the item and not for the first time, you wonder who could have gifted it to you, and what you’re supposed to do with it.

***Mysterious Item- Heals ????**

***Filled with good intentions, hope for a better future, and DETERMINATION**

Well nothing has changed; it is odd that determination seems to be in all caps (you’re still not over the whole seeing words thing) but you’re focused on the future bit. What could that mean? Is this some sort of puzzle you’re supposed to figure out? Papyrus had mentioned that monsters loved puzzles, so how do you solve this one? Even with all of the puzzle practice you’ve had recently, the riddle surrounding this one has you dumbfounded. Well it’s talking about hope for a better future, maybe it’s some sort of fortune telling device?

You squeeze the object between both hands and close your eyes, concentrating on the future, what does it have in store for you?

…

…

…

Well that didn’t work. You sit in front of the box, looking over the star and trying to decipher the possible puzzle. Not realizing how much time has passed, you hear a quiet knock at your door that startles you from your thoughts.

You put the star back in the box and make your way to the door, “Who is it?” you hear shuffling, but no answer. Slowly you crack the door open, but no one’s there. You’re about to shut it again when something on the floor catches your eye. Opening the door fully, you pick up the gift that has been left for you; Papyrus must have cooked for you after all. You take the plate in your room and happily sit down to eat it.

***Abandoned Quiche- Heals 34 HP**

***Tastes delicious, but it has some serious trust issues.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise :3
> 
> We have an early update this week to tide everyone over during this difficult time and we have absolutely no other motivations what-so-ever.
> 
> Yes... no other motivations >.>
> 
> Amy- Umm, Savvy... your pants appear to have caught fire.

_You slowly creep down the hallway, careful not to make a sound, you don’t want your parents to know you’re attempting to eavesdrop. You can hear them speaking in soft voices from the kitchen and you get as close as you dare, leaning in slightly to hear what they’re saying._

_“Are we really doing this? I know that they’ve been cleared by the government but it’s still a major unknown, anything could happen.”_

_“I know honey, but I don’t feel like we have a choice, this is the most amazing thing to happen to the world in… well ever! Don’t you want to be one of the first to reach out and show some genuine kindness to these people? After everything they’ve been through, don’t they deserve at least that much?”_

_Your father sighs deeply, “I know I know, you’re right as always dear. I do want to do this; I’m just worried about Y/n. What is she going to think of all this? You know that once we cross the blockade, we can’t leave until they decide how to move forward with integration. What are we going to do about school?”_

_“We could homeschool! We did when she was younger, it shouldn’t be an issue. Or we can give her the option to stay, Sarah’s mom said she would be willing to let Y/n live with them until graduation, if we even have to stay up there for that long. It’s not ideal, I admit, but honey… something is telling me that we need to take this opportunity. We can help, and I just wouldn’t feel right sitting on the sidelines doing nothing.”_

_There’s a short silence before your father finally responds, “How is she going to take it? Do you think she’d want to come with… or will she hate us for leaving her behind? I want to help, you **know** I do, but I don’t want to lose our daughter in the process.”_

_“I’ll go with you!” Your parents jump as you step into the kitchen. “I’m not a little kid anymore, and I want to help. I’ll go with you.”_

*****

_*beep beep beep*_

You slowly open your eyes to the sound of your alarm. Yawning, you reach over and hit the snooze button, not quite ready to get out of bed. Already, the dream from last night is disappearing from memory, with the only bits you can remember being the sounds of your parents’ voices. The words they spoke escape you but hearing them again fills your heart with equal parts nostalgia and grief.

It’s been a long time since you had heard their voices so clearly, you’re relieved to know that you can still remember what they sounded like. Sometimes you worry that you’ll forget them, you haven’t looked at any pictures or videos since you packed them away and over the years their faces have started to blur. It’s always a blessing when you have dreams that reassure you that they were, in fact, once here. A tear runs down your cheek at the knowledge that they’re no longer around… you quickly put a cap on that emotional bottle to prevent any more from escaping.

Turning your alarm off before it has a chance to scream at you again, you climb out of bed and prepare for the long day ahead of you. You hadn’t spoken much to Papyrus when you got home, and you aren’t sure where Sans ran off to after your… conversation, but you’ve got to come out of your bedroom at some point so you take the first step and open your door.

You’re greeted with the delicious smell of something cooking in the kitchen, and you slowly make your way down the hall. When you turn the corner, you see Papyrus standing over the stove, flipping what smells like an omelet. Your mouth starts to water at the delicious aroma, and you step fully into the kitchen to greet Papyrus.

“Good morning Papyrus.” You aren’t _as_ upset as you were last night, hearing your parents’ voices soothed some of the hurt, so at least in front of Papyrus you have no problem pretending like yesterday never happened. Logically, you know that Sans is an overprotective brother with some other issues due to his injury. Papyrus has told you that much, but the murder accusation was still hurtful and he _attacked_ you, that isn’t something you can take lightly.

Papyrus turns around with a start, “OH Y/N! GOOD MORNING! HOW ARE YOU FEELING? WELL RESTED I HOPE!”

It’s upsetting that Sans would drag you into an encounter, but knowing how excited Papyrus was over the fact that he was _finally_ doing something productive… you just can’t bring yourself to mention the rooftop incident… _yet._

“Yes, I definitely needed all of that extra sleep.” _Sorry for lying Papyrus, I hope you can understand_ , “I’m ready to take on today though!”

“NYEHEHE THAT’S WONDERFUL NEWS!” He says in his usual tone, but as the two of you sit down, you notice he seems a bit… distressed?

“How did you sleep Papyrus? I’m sorry for skipping out on dinner last night, I should have at least talked with you a bit longer.”

“OH NO, DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT! I UNDERSTAND YOU NEEDED YOUR REST AND I APOLOGIZE THAT I DIDN’T ASSIST YOU WITH THE DELIVERIES YESTERDAY, TO RECTIFY THAT I SHALL DO THE CLEANUP ON MY OWN TODAY!” That’s right, it’s Monday, the two of you typically spend today cleaning the bakery kitchen and clearing out old inventory for donation on Mondays.

“Oh Papyrus you don’t need to apologize, I’ve handled much bigger orders on my own.” You smile; you don’t want him feeling guilty for something you weren’t even upset about. “I actually really enjoy the exercise, so you don’t need to feel guilty about anything.”

He hesitates before saying, “IF YOU INSIST, I HOPE YOU KNOW I STILL PLAN ON HANDLING THE BAKERY MYSELF TODAY! YOU TAKE THE TIME OFF FOR YOURSELF.”

“Alright, I won’t argue with you.” You say, hands raised in defeat. He still looks as if he has something on his mind though, so you ask, “Is there anything else bothering you?”

“OH NO I’M FINE!” He says, but when you raise an eyebrow at him he continues, “WELL MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING… IT’S JUST… WELL SANS HE… HE WAS ACTING STRANGE YESTERDAY AND I’M WORRIED HIS DAY DIDN’T GO AS WELL AS I HAD HOPED.”

Oh boy… “Oh…? That’s not good, I hope he’s okay.” You _hate_ lying to Papyrus, maybe you should just tell him what happened.

“YES, HE CERTAINLY PLAYED IT OFF VERY WELL BUT I KNOW MY BROTHER BETTER THAN THAT, HE WAS VERY FIDGETY AT DINNER AND I HAVE REASON TO SUSPECT HE MAY HAVE EMBELLISHED HIS STORY A BIT. WELL…MORE THAN USUAL ANYWAY, HE DID SAY THAT THE FORMER QUEEN, TORIEL, STOPPED BY HIS STAND. I JUST HOPE THAT IT WASN’T AN UNPLEASANT ENCOUNTER.” He says sullenly.

You flinch at the word encounter; he certainly did have an unpleasant encounter yesterday, just not with the former queen, (that you know of).Biting your lip, you debate whether you should tell Papyrus or not after all. But there’s this nagging feeling that maybe you should try to talk things out with Sans first to find out more about what happened and why. Sure he hasn’t been the friendliest of people since you met, but he seemed to have been warming up recently, and there was definitely something very off with how he talked and acted right before you were drawn into the encounter as well as throughout.

“I JUST HOPE THAT TODAY GOES BETTER. I DON’T WANT TO SEE HIM GIVE UP SO SOON. ARE YOU OKAY Y/N? YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO EAT THE OMELET, NOT YOUR OWN MOUTH.” Papyrus says with a raised bonebrow.

You immediately release your lip, “Ohh yea, yea I’m okay, sorry.” Maybe… maybe you should talk to Sans.

Picking up your fork, you dig into the omelet he’s made for you, “Oh, before I forget! Thank you for the quiche last night, it was _amazing!_ ”

He looks confused at your statement, “WHAT QUICHE?”

Wait, Papyrus didn’t make the quiche? So that means that Sans must have… which hopefully means he was trying to apologize. It certainly makes the idea of talking to him much easier.

“Oh, never mind. Thanks for making us breakfast, I’ll have to return the favor tomorrow.”

From his facial expression you can tell he’s suspicious, but he doesn’t comment, “YOU’LL HAVE TO WAKE UP FAIRLY EARLY TO BEAT ME TO BREAKFAST Y/N, NYEHEHE.”

“Challenge accepted.” You say with a wink.

*****

Sans had crept out of his shared bedroom shortly after hearing Y/n leave hers; the curiosity was eating him alive. This was it; she had gotten her first look at how Sans could _really_ be, and now he was going to find out whether or not she could handle it. And hopefully forgive him. 

He had expected her to tell Papyrus the whole story, having thought on it all night she must have decided that they were more trouble than they’re worth and she’s kicking them out. What he heard instead was simply talk about work, nothing about Sans.

Continuing to eavesdrop, he hears the human ask if Papyrus was alright, listened to him talk about how worried he was about Sans, ( _damn, he thought he played it off rather well last night)_ and she just listened, pretending she hadn’t seen him, hadn’t been attacked, she just…Why didn’t she rat him out?

Remembering the ~~_beautiful_~~ colors of her soul, yellow with those dim wisps of orange, he tries to piece together why a justice soul wouldn’t snitch on him. She hadn’t indicated any malicious intent, her soul should have revealed that when he checked her, unless she’s figured out how to conceal those intentions but that should be impossible. So if she really is innocent then shouldn’t she be seeking retribution for his unwarranted attack?

Maybe he shouldn’t rule out the ability to hide her intentions, he’s seen it somewhere before… _hasn’t he?_ Wasn’t there someone out there who managed to hide their intentions from him before? Who was it… _think, think, think…_ Tugging at his eyesocket in frustration, he starts to remember a face, it’s fuzzy but if he concentrates then maybe—

“—thank you for the quiche last night, it was _amazing!”_

That caught his attention; releasing his socket and losing the fleeting thought, he focuses on the human’s words, she thought his quiche was amazing? ~~A small wave of pride ripples through him.~~ Well she better, it’s not every day he cooks for anyone other than his brother. After hearing Papyrus question the quiche and the human dismissing it to discuss breakfast, he decides he’s listened long enough.

Ducking back around the corner, Sans shortcuts back to his room and contemplates her actions. He can’t figure out why she would keep this from Paps, but maybe he should try talking to her.

Maybe this is his chance? If she didn’t tell Paps about what he did then maybe she’d be willing to give him a chance to explain himself, to…. _apologize._

For now, he needs to lay low and figure out what he’s going to say to her… and maybe close his eyes again. He _did_ wake up early today after all.

~~~

~~~

~~~

“SANS, SANS WAKE UP.”

“hnghhh five more minutes.”

“NO BROTHER, I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU.”

Sighing, Sans rolls over to sit up. Looking up at his brother, he asks “what’s up bro?”

“I JUST WANTED TO SAY… WELL I SUSPECT THAT SOMETHING MAY HAVE HAPPENED YESTERDAY, AND I GATHER IT INVOLVED Y/N. DON’T LOOK SO SHOCKED, I’M NOT COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS TO YOUR ACTIONS SANS. ANYHOW, I’M NOT SURE WHAT YOU DID TO WARRANT AN APOLOGY QUICHE, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT YOU TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO DO SO.”

_Abandoned_ quiche… he grumbles internally. He doubts it would be as easy as baking her a quiche to make her forgive him.

“SHE HASN’T TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED, SHE HASN’T EVEN INDICATED THAT ANYTHING MAY HAVE HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TWO, aside from some lip chewing this morning that aroused my suspicions. I WON’T BE PRESSURING HER FOR ANSWERS, BUT I HOPE WHEN YOU TWO ARE READY, YOU CAN TALK TO ME ABOUT IT.”

“a’right paps, thanks.” He says, grateful he doesn’t have to talk about it right now. He didn’t want to drag Paps into the middle of all this. He knows he messed up with her but he needs to figure out how to fix it on his own.

“Papyrus, are you ready to go?” The human calls from the other room. Papyrus leans in to embrace Sans before leaving for work.

She didn’t rat him out to Paps so hopefully there’s still a chance for him to make things right, he just needs to figure out how.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday update! We've reached over 600 kudos and 6800 hits, you guys are just the bees knees!!! XD
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe out there, enjoy this short break from reality <3

Isn’t life just _the BEST!?_ Hello everyone, your favorite protagonist Daisy here with some crucial, earth shatteri- OMG SQUIRREL!!!

Normally I spend my days running around the world, digging up holes and playing tag with the rabbits, rolling around in the warm mud or just taking a nice stroll through the woods. It’s amazing how large the world is! I remember when it used to be so small and dark, I only spent a short time in what I’m assuming was some sort of cave, but then I was rescued by that absolute _angel_ Y/n, and the world grew overnight!

She showed me how beautiful it could be, how bright and open everything was once you leave the caves and I’ve never been happier! I’ve discovered so many new things that I believe no other dog has ever seen, like did you know the ocean is blue and has some sort of tall, fluffy grass that Y/n calls _cat-tails._ (yuck) Ooh, and there are ducks in the ocean! Those little guys are really good at playing tag, I can never catch them!

Then there’s the forest, it marks the beginning of the edge of the world and I’ve never gone too far in, I wouldn’t want to fall off the planet after all! In the other direction is the city, (that’s where Y/n goes during the day,) it’s farther than the forest and doesn’t smell as clean as the rest of the world. I think the caves are down there and I don’t want to go back to the caves so I stick as close to the center of the planet as I can, that’s our house!

How amazing is it that the center of the world is where I live? How many other dogs can say that! Of course… it is strange that I don’t see any other dogs. I know they’re out there, sometimes I smell them on her. Also I remember when Y/n took me to school to teach me how to help her, there were other dogs there, they were fun, but a little delusional. One even tried to claim that the center of the world was in a tall tower in the cave city, but we all know he’s wrong.

I guess that’s what happens to a dog when he becomes a ‘pet’. I heard the term thrown around at school, but Y/n and I both know I’m no pet, I’m a partner! Yeah it was nice to brag about how free I am, I’m able to come and go as I please and I’ve even tested my freedom, just to be sure!

One time I was gone for three sunsets, that’s like three weeks right? Y/n was worried sick about me, but she never tried to stop me from leaving again so I know I’m free! Ever since that first time, I tried to stick close so she wouldn’t worry. I know she took me to school so I could help her when she’s having a bad day, so I’ve got to make sure I do my part!

It’s been awhile since she had a bad day though. The last time she had an episode, she ended up bringing home two bodyguards to help keep her calm and fill the void when I’m out exploring.

The day those two bone brothers moved in was the happiest, and most frustrating day of my life. At first I thought that my dear sweet Y/n had brought me the biggest bone buffet I had ever seen, but when I tried to take a simple taste of my new treat, it objected!

Granted he did give me a bone after the misunderstanding, but nothing could compare to the feast that dangled before me. It took a lot of restraint not to eat them in their sleep, but they’re guests in our home and I think it would make Y/n sad if they were gone so I must be a top-notch host.

That’s why I’m here in the woods now, I realized that I’ve grown rather fond of the two bone brothers and they’ve been here for what… a year now? It’s gotta be something like that, and here I am chewing on legs and begging for a bite of their scrumptious smelling plates without first offering a gift of my own!

I’ve noticed the injured one, Lazybones, seems to have a few… issues. He kinda reminds me of the old Y/n from before I went to school to learn how to help her get better. He tried to give me some of my bacon treats and something scared him! It was a little different than what Y/n goes through, but I could tell he was upset over something, he even tried to defend himself with a weapon! He must not be as smart as Y/n if he hasn’t thought to get a partner to help him but that’s ok, I don’t think Y/n will mind sharing me. In fact, I think he would feel better if I brought him a nice squirrel or rabbit or even better, the ever-elusive _bird_ , then he would HAVE to give me a few pats and see that I am clearly the best when it comes to helping people! SoCool already likes me; he started to teach me self-restraint by throwing bones that I wasn’t supposed to eat and having me return them to him. It’s a little frustrating but he always rewards me afterwards, so I play along.

*sniff sniff* _Oooohhh_ that smells like a rabbit! It’s about time too; I’ve been wandering the woods for hours trying to find something. I had to travel further than normal and I was starting to worry that I might not find a gift before I hit the edge of the world, but I’d know that smell anywhere!

Light as a feather, I stalk through the tall trees looking for my prey. There are bushes all around, but I can’t find a burrow anywhere, *sniff sniff* _there._

At the base of that tree is a small hole, I know there’s a bunny in there somewhere so I just need to widen the hole a bit! Digging through the damp earth, I can hear them within, Lazybones is going to love this!

_*Crack*_ WHAT’S THAT!? Pulling my head from the hole, I examine the surrounding trees. I know I heard a stick break, who’s there?

Sniffing the air, I smell something unfamiliar approaching. Whatever it is smells like wood, sweat, and very faintly of dead animals. Possibly another human, but I better go investigate.

Slowly I make my way through the forest to find the trespasser, it doesn’t take long before I see a human male in a red checkered shirt and a white beard carrying a large sack. Oh! Is that Santa Claus? But didn’t Y/n say that Santa only comes when there’s snow out? Maybe he’s on vacation.

‘Santa!’ I call out to him. He looks my way so I must be right!

“Oh hey there pup, what are you doin’ all the way out here?” He bends down to give me a pat. Santa is so nice!

‘This is my home Santa sir! Why are you here when there’s no snow?’ I ask as I present my belly for more rubs. He gets the hint.

“Well you’re just a sweet little thing, Daisy huh? Are you lost or something?” He must have read my collar, good thing Y/n knew this would happen! It’s so frustrating when they don’t understand me, you’d think after all these years that someone would try learning our language. I know Y/n is busy so she doesn’t have enough time to try, but she at least understands body language.

“Well I’ve got to go pick up a flower for my daughter, don’t suppose you’d want to walk with me eh?”

Walk with him? I guess it is my duty as protector of the planet to escort one of the bringers of happiness. ‘Sure Santa, where are you going?’

He smiles down at me, did he understand? “Alright pup, the towns this way.” He must have!

Wagging my tail excitedly, I lead the way to the city. I’m not sure he’s going to find a flower in all those caves, but who knows! Maybe I’ll see if Y/n will take me into town one day, I’d like to see some new flowers but I don’t want to go alone.

“I don’t go to town often, but Emily insisted she has to have one of those ‘Echo Flowers’ that the monsters brought with ‘em.” He spits on the ground, _rude,_ “I try to do everything I can to make that girl happy but it doesn’t seem like anything I do is good enough.”

I don’t bother answering, it sounds like he has something he wants to get off his chest. I didn’t know Santa had a daughter but it doesn’t sound like they have a good relationship, not like me and Y/n!

“She’s always complainin’ about how dark the house is, how lonely she is, but we live on a mountain! What does she expect? Only reason I’m getting this flower is ‘cause it glows. Hopefully she’ll stop whinin’ once I get it to her.”

‘Maybe she needs a friend? I know dogs are great friends! You should get her a dog!’ Hopefully he understands, everyone deserves a friend and instead of getting flowers for his daughter, maybe he should bring her a friend!

“Too bad you seem to have an owner, otherwise I’d bring you home to her haha!” His laugh comes from deep within his belly, a very hefty laugh unlike the light giggles and snorts that come from Y/n.

‘No, you seem nice Santa sir but my place is with my very best friend Y/n.’ Better give it to him straight so he doesn’t get the wrong idea.

The woods start to thin out and I can see the clearing, I _did_ travel a lot further than I intended. I can see the city but not my home, that’s okay though because I can follow the river back.

I walk in silence with Santa until we reach a wooden bridge that crosses the river and leads into the city, that’s as far as I’m willing to go.

‘Alright Santa, this is where we part ways. It was nice meeting you but I need to get home!’ I tell him halfheartedly. He probably doesn’t understand but I won’t forget my manners.

“Thanks for escorting me through the woods pup, it's been nice having some enthusiastic company for a change." He gives me one last scratch behind the ears before crossing the bridge. 

Y/n will be so jealous that I met Santa Claus! I need to get home quick so I can tell her all about it! Running along the river, I let my tongue hang out as the cool breeze blows past me. I see the fish in the river trying to race me, but they can’t compete! I’m the fastest dog in the world and nothing can beat me.

Before long I can finally see home and I let the excitement wash over me as I bound up the hill towards more familiar territory. I’m awfully hungry after that adventure; I think it’s time for a good meal and a warm nap.

I rush in through the door that Y/n installed just for me, and scarf down the breakfast she left. She’s just the best! Even when she doesn’t know if I’ll be home, she still makes sure to leave me a fresh bowl of food.

Belly full and eyes droopy, I make myself comfy on the fluffy seat under the window and start to drift off into dreamland.

…

…

_Oh no! I forgot Lazybones’ gift!_

> **Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy April Fools!!!
> 
> This wasn't much of a joke but hey, you asked for some fluff ;) 
> 
> Who has a good prank I can play on my husband today!? Give me ideas ^.^
> 
> OHHH OHH OHH!! ALSO!
> 
> Go to my tumblr for a glimpse at the real-life Daisy :D I left her breed up to interpretation so I'm curious what sort of dog you guys have pinned her as so far :)
> 
> https://savvysp.tumblr.com/


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's everyone handling social isolation? I know it's difficult but I hope everyone is staying safe out there.
> 
> As always, thank you all for your kudos, comments, and general interest in this story! We are absolutely blown away by you! 
> 
> Enjoy <3

You decided to walk Papyrus to the bakery this morning, you need some time to think about what you’re going to say when you finally speak to Sans and there’s only one place you can think of to do that.

“Are you sure you want to handle this alone Papyrus?”

“ABSOLUTELY! I KNOW ALL THE INS AND OUTS BY NOW, THE HUMANS AT THE SOUP KITCHEN ARE FAMILIAR WITH ME SO THERE SHOULDN’T BE ANY ISSUES WITH DONATION, AND I NEED TO MAKE UP FOR MY DISREGARD FOR THE WORKLOAD YESTERDAY.” 

“Oh Papyrus, there’s nothing you need to make up for. It was only two orders, and I handled them just fine. You do plenty around here, so please don’t feel responsible for anything.”

“I UNDERSTAND THAT’S HOW YOU FEEL, BUT I STILL INSIST ON HANDLING THE BAKERY TODAY.” He says with conviction.

“Well I won’t stop you then, I’ll just have to find something else to fill my day.” You smile at him.

“I’M SURE YOU’LL FIND SOMETHING, SEE YOU THIS EVENING Y/N!” He says as he heads into the bakery.

Waving goodbye, you start heading towards the botanical gardens. The area always helps clear your thoughts and once you’ve figured out what to say, you can stop by Sans’ hot dog cart.

How are you going to approach him though? You don’t even know what you’ll say when you do, ‘hey look, I’m pretty upset that you kidnapped me, accused me of conspiring to murder my house mates, attacked me, then left me stranded on a _locked_ private roof, so do you maybe want to explain what happened?’

Would he even try to explain himself? You thought the two of you had been growing closer but then he… well he did make you a quiche, a sign that he might be at least slightly remorseful? (Even if the apology attempt was abandoned part way, if the item's name was anything to go by.) You could thank him for the gift, tell him you’ll answer any questions he has to the best of your ability, promise that you aren’t a bad person, and that you really just want to help him and his brother.

If you put yourself in his shoes, you could kinda understand why he’d be paranoid. He raised Papyrus and is extremely protective of him, they did go through a very traumatizing ordeal where they had to eat both the unlucky people that stumbled upon them as well as the dust of their fallen friends. Not to mention it was the humans that trapped them underground to begin with, so being wary of a human’s actions after everything they went through is somewhat within reason. Knowing how narrow-minded your kind can be, you imagine there are people out there that still want revenge or retribution for what went on under the mountain, and it’s possible that those people would—or even have—hurt him and Papyrus, leading to the mistrust he has for you. 

You just need to be open with each other, show him that you come in peace and hope that he believes you. And hopefully find out what his triggers are because clearly raw meat is not the only one. All you want is to move forward without having to look over your shoulder for his shadow, but what are you going to say to make him understand? Maybe it’s best you don’t dwell on this for now, you should clear your head and come back to it later.

Making it to the botanical gardens you take in a deep breath, the weather is beautiful today and you’re pleased that you decided to take this walk. The gardens almost seem brighter and more colorful, and you briefly wonder if the quite possibly deadly experience from yesterday has you seeing everything in a new light.

Knowing Sans has his stand set up near your pond, you decide to venture into other sections of the garden today. You want to start with the echo flowers, they always make you feel better.

Arriving at the caves, you walk through the small field of echo flowers and brush your fingers across the petals to reveal the secrets left by other visitors.

_*I hope she says yes._

_*Yesterday I lost my first toof!_

_*Will anyone ever really love me?_

_*You’re so beautiful._

_*damn it!!!.................(Sounds of something hitting the rocky walls repeatedly and a frustrated, almost sad growling.)_

Nearing the back of the caves you notice a small alcove surrounded by flowers and nearly hidden from view, this would be a nice spot to relax and clear your head.

Lying down on the soft dirt you look at the roof of the cave and for the first time you notice the glowing rocks that resemble stars. You had spent so much time focused on the echo flowers you had never seen these stones, they’re beautiful!

The soothing whispers of the echo flowers, the sparkling stones above, the soft earth below, this is exactly what you needed to relax. Closing your eyes, you let yourself drift off for just… a few… minutes… 

…

…

“S’cuse me little missy, you alright?” Comes a gruff voice from above you.

Slowly blinking your eyes open, you see a bearded older man with a sack at his feet bent over checking on you. His eyes are a striking blue against his tanned skin and he’s dressed in a way that reminds you of the Brawny Man from those paper towels you use, although it might be more accurate to say he resembles the Brawny Man’s dad or grandpa. His face is heavily wrinkled, the beard he’s sporting is completely white and his hair is thinned out on top so you’d guess he’s somewhere in his late fifties at least. 

“O-oh! Yes, uhm sorry I guess I fell asleep.” You say sheepishly while moving to stand up. The older gentleman offers you his hand and you take it gratefully, standing and brushing the dirt from your clothes.

“No bother, just wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt. Have a nice day!” He says with a smile and wave as he exits the caves. _He seemed nice._

Checking your phone, you see that Papyrus has left a series of messages laying out his progress for the day and informing you that he plans on visiting a friend after dropping off the donations. _Wait, is that the time!?_ Good grief you slept for _hours!!_

You can’t believe you wasted a whole morning napping! You do feel pretty relaxed though… maybe you needed the extra sleep in a place that literally emits good vibes.

Not quite ready to face Sans yet, you leave the caves to wander through the gardens letting your feet guide you while you think about how you’ll approach him. 

You’re pulled from your thoughts when you see something strange on the hedges before you; they seem to be covered in thick spider webs! Turning the corner, it all makes sense; in the center of the web covered hedges lies the statue of a female spider monster who you believe must be Muffet. Approaching the statue, you read the plaque at its base:

_In honor of our dear friend, Muffet_

_Her sacrifice will never be forgotten, may she live on in the memories of her fellow monsters_

Closing your eyes and clasping your hands together, you give a brief ‘thank you’ to Muffet for sacrificing herself. You may not have known her, or even the child she saved, but an action like that deserves acknowledgment, even from a stranger.

Sitting on the bench near Muffets memorial, you take in this section of the gardens now that you know it isn’t some sort of out-of-season Halloween theme.

The statue itself is set in the center of a large circle surrounded by the tall webbed hedges and the stone walkways themselves are designed to look like spider webs. You can even see tiny engravings of spiders throughout the area. At the base of Muffet’s feet you see piles of small confectioneries and you remember that Papyrus had said she used to bake pastries in the underground. _A fellow comrade in flour-covered-arms,_ you think with a smile.

Looking at her statue closer, you take in the image that they’ve portrayed of Muffet. She appears to have had short hair cut into a bob and tied back in pigtails using large bows, and her outfit was an adorable button-up romper with a large ribbon on the chest, not something most adults would wear but you suppose there are places around the world where women dress in that sort of fashion.

Focusing your attention elsewhere you see a small fountain that has some sort of cupcake-spider monster spitting water in the air. That’s…. unique. Is that a depiction of an actual monster or just an art piece? You shudder at the mental image of one of your cupcakes sprouting spider legs. You aren’t afraid of spiders per-say, but you’d rather not see them sprouting from your pastries.

Looking towards the tall hedges, you had already seen they were covered in spider webs, but what you hadn’t noticed were the hundreds of tiny spiders crawling around. Tensing up at the sudden realization that they weren’t just decorations to match the theme, you slowly stand to leave. Again, you aren’t _really_ afraid of spiders, but realizing you’re surrounded by hundreds of creepy-crawlies sends a shiver down your spine nonetheless.

Trying to remain calm, you make your way to the exit but are stopped short when you notice a few spiders, one of them in particular holding up some sort of sign.

…

...

_Oooh, okay._ These are _monster-_ spiders, that’s a relief! If they’re monsters, then they have thoughts and feelings and _souls_ so you feel slightly better about being surrounded by these creatures. Looking at the sign you see it reads:

**Thanks for stopping by, donations for upkeep are always appreciated.**

Donations? You had never thought to make a donation towards the garden's upkeep before but seeing the tiny spider monsters holding up their cute sign and waving a small collections box at you, you happily drop some money inside.

**Thank you, have a wonderful day!**

Alright these little guys are adorable, giving them a smile and wave; you take your leave and start to explore more familiar parts of the garden.

Walking through the garden at a leisurely pace, you stop when you realize that you’ve walked all the way to the pond. Looking across the clear waters, you see Sans sitting at his hot dog stand with his skull buried in his arms, appearing to be asleep.

With a deep breath, you decide now is as good a time as any to clear the air. 

*****

Sitting at his cart with sockets closed and skull buried in his arms, Sans tries to come up with something, anything, he can say to Y/n to explain what happened yesterday. He's got to tell her something... but how safe would she feel knowing that he's so damn broken he hardly remembers their encounter at all! 

“Excuse me, Sans? Are you awake?”

The sweet smell of cupcakes starts to swirl around him as he hears someone approach.

Oh stars, is that Y/n? _No, no, no he's not ready for this, he still doesn't know what he's supposed to say!_

Feigning sleep, he sends a small bone attack shooting out of the pond to startle the ducks. The attack sends the ducks flying in every direction and he hears Y/n shout in surprise as one flies overhead. Tilting his skull and opening his eyesocket just a fraction, he sees she's turned around and he takes the opportunity to shortcut out of sight.

Watching her from the tall grass, he sees her turn back to his cart only to find him missing. Looking around in confusion, she starts calling out to him.

"Sans? Where did you go!" She approaches his cart and looks at his empty seat, then with a heavy sigh she glances around the area. "Alright fine, I'll leave, but at some point we really need to talk about what happened. I won't rush you but... well I'll be here when you're ready."

Something stirs uncomfortably in Sans' soul at her words; _guilt._ He can't just avoid her like this, it isn't fair to her and it'll only make things worse than they already are. Watching her walk away from his cart, he shortcuts back to his seat and calls out to her, "wait!"

With a huge start she whips back around to face him, hand over her soul and face twisted in surprise. "Holy fudgeballs, would you STOP doing that! I am going to have a legitimate heart attack one of these days!"

Flinching at the (probably true) accusation, he mutters a quick "sorry."

With another sigh, she approaches his cart and looks him straight in the eyesockets. "It's fine, but Sans, we need to talk."

Here it is, this is the moment he’s been waiting for; he took too long to explain himself and apologize properly then proceeded to scare her _again,_ so she’s going to tell him she doesn’t want him in her house anymore. He messed up big time and now he’s got to face the consequences. He just hopes she’ll let Papyrus stay.

Plopping back into his seat with a heavy sigh, he scratches the back of his skull and says, “look… i uh, shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions yesterday. definitely shouldn’t have dragged ya into that encounter the way i did, but if yer gonna kick me out, could ya still let paps stay fer awhile?”

Keeping his gaze focused on the ground, he can feel her staring at him in silence and he hopes he at least didn’t ruin this for his brother. He just needs time to find another place, then he can take his brother and leave.

“I’m not kicking you out Sans.”

…What?

Looking up at her in disbelief, he sees her brow furrowed in concentration before she continues, “I just… wanted to clear the air. I think maybe some wires got crossed along the way and we haven’t had a chance to properly understand one another. You must have some reason for not trusting me, and I really don’t want another…. incident, like yesterday.” She shudders.

“I don’t like opening up to people, and it seems as if you’re the same way, but if we keep hiding our real selves from each other, then I’m afraid something like that will happen again and I _really_ don’t want that. So… would you mind if I got to know you a little better?”

She wants to get to know him? After what he did, she’s ready to just…. Move on?

***Could really use a friend right now.**

“…………ok.”

His answer seems to startle her, “Ok? I uhm… well I honestly didn’t expect you to agree so easily.” She mutters to herself.

Looking into his eyesockets, she says “I want to be completely honest with you, I’ll answer any questions you have but I will expect the same in return. I uhm… I read that encounters can be used to clear up misunderstandings and while I’m… wary, about putting my soul out there for you, I’m willing to give it a shot if you are. I just don’t want there to be any doubt that what we say is what we truly feel.”

She’s willing to do another encounter with him…. just so he’ll believe her? Is this really happening… he thought it would be more difficult than this, he’s been trying to figure out how to apologize to her and she’s just… giving him the opportunity?

“ok. i’ll do it.”

She blinks a few times in surprise, “O-oh, you’re uh, surprisingly compliant. Well, I guess I can wait for you to finish up here and we can go do… whatever it is we need to do.” She says while rubbing her arm uncomfortably.

So she wants to pull him into an encounter, but she’s uncomfortable about it… she must be afraid of him. ~~_Please, don’t be afraid of me_.~~

“let’s do it now, i can shortcut us somewhere more… private. if you’re ok with that, that is.”

Her cheeks flare red at the word ‘private’ and he raises a browbone at her in question.

“Don’t you have work to finish here?” She says while avoiding eye contact.

“break time. been here all day, let’s go.” He holds out a hand for her to take, but she hesitates.

“Is this going to be like last time, because that really messed with my stomach!”

“heh, ya weren’t expectin it last time. it’ll be easier this time.”

Cautiously, she reaches out and takes his hand. _~~Soft~~._ Gripping her hand tightly in his phalanges, he says “take a deep breath and relax. close yer eyes and count to ten.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y/n *sees hundreds, possibly thousands of spiders surrounding her*- O.O' This is fine. Everything's fine. I'm just gonna goooo......
> 
> Spiders- (๑◕︵◕๑) pwease help!
> 
> Y/n- oh god not the puppy eyes... take my money! ( ≧Д≦)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy guys.... remember us? Savvy and Amy? We're still here! Just..... a little delayed >.>
> 
> Sorry to have dropped off the face of the Earth for a few weeks, this chapter is the longest one to date and it was a real doozy to edit. Add that to our crazy work schedules that seem to have picked up despite the pandemic and we sort of missed a few updates ;-; 
> 
> Hopefully this makes up for it! 
> 
> OHH!! And before I forget, we hit 100 bookmarks!!!! AHHHHH!!!! Thank you guys so much, and as a gift (and totally not a peace offering) I'd like to see if anyone has any requests for things they'd like to see? Requests may not show up immediately but I can definitely worm them into the storyline. (There's already been one drop many, MANY chapters ago that immediately gave me ideas hehe) 
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy <3
> 
> P.S. This will count as this Saturday's update, we just didn't want to wait the couple extra days to post it since it took so long already. Hopefully we will be back to our usual schedule now. ^.^*

“take a deep breath an relax. close yer eyes an count ta ten.”

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, the minute she does he shortcuts them back to the house. It’s a little exhausting doing all those jumps with two souls, but he isn’t about to start airing their dirty laundry in public and the roof just doesn’t seem like the proper place for this ‘talk’.

She still has her eyes closed, continuing to count, so he lets her finish while looking her over. He glances at their entwined fingers before looking at her face in consideration, there’s something about the way her hand fits into his that seems…familiar?

Staring at her face screwed up in anticipation for the jump she doesn’t realize they already took, something stirs inside of Sans, gently, almost wistfully. She looks so soft, so vulnerable, so beautiful, so… _familiar_.

Reaching up to touch her face, he jumps back when she cautiously opens an eye. Releasing her hand and blushing at the thoughts that just ran through his skull, he turns his gaze from her and says, “see, easy peasy.”

Looking around in disbelief she responds, “Wow, you’re right! Stars that’s convenient when it isn’t used to scare the living daylights out of me.”

Out of the corner of his eyesocket he sees her smiling slightly in his direction. Shaking thoughts of her from his head he turns away and puts a bit of distance between them. “wait here, i’m gonna make sure paps ain’t home.” He rushes out of the room shutting the door behind him without giving her a chance to reply.

He knows his brother isn’t home already, (he would have felt his magic if he were) he just needed a second to ground himself. Upon reaching the living room Sans takes a few deep breaths. Was he really going to do this? He knows she’s probably going to ask him things he isn’t prepared, (or with his spotty memory) unable to answer, and while staying quiet _is_ an option... Well, she didn’t have to give him a chance to apologize or explain himself, and considering the circumstances of their last encounter the fact that she was willing to put herself in that position again, just to clear the air on both sides, was already a small miracle. Y/n doesn’t realize just how lucky she is, that it was the Judge that got triggered by whatever happened instead of the Butcher. Yeah, he owes it to her to try and be as open as possible. But…was he really ready to give her a chance to see just how broken he actually is? What a Failure he was. It’s been a long time since he allowed himself to be so open _~~vulnerable~~_ around another person other than his brother.

Sans lets out a long sigh; No, no he isn’t ready and probably never will be but surprisingly he finds there’s still a small part of him that wants to try anyway. Squaring his shoulders he takes another deep breath and heads back to the bedroom.

“ready or not here i come.” He quietly mumbles to himself.

*****

You stare at the closed door a little miffed. Well at least he didn’t leave you on a locked roof this time before running away. Looking around you see you were right, the brothers really had brought life back to this old sealed off room, you hardly recognized the place.

One side was completely immaculate with a racecar bed pushed against the wall and a bookshelf neatly stuffed with books, puzzles and action figures. The other side, (the one you were on) had an unmade mattress lying on the floor against the wall and a tornado happily spinning in the corner across from it made of trash and the odd article of clothing. How you knew it was happy you have absolutely no clue. At pretty much the halfway point of the room right under the window was a desk with a plate covered in leftover sprinkles and an open bag of more sprinkles under the desk.

Ketchup and sprinkle covered rocks, yep totally normal diet. Then again who are you to tell a living skeleton what to eat, they’re probably _magic_ sprinkle rocks anyway. You wonder briefly if he would like pop rocks or if this, was in fact the monster version of those. 

Before you get too far on that particular train of thought Sans returns looking much more determined.

“So uhm, where should we start? Do we talk before we pull out our souls or do we just jump right into it?” You ask.

“well how much did ya find out about encounters?”

“I found a book called, ‘SOULs for Beginners. (That means you, human!)’ and read through most of it, (and a few others) so I think I know the basics now.” You say proudly.

He gives a soft chuckle, “ya that one’s one of tha better ones for learnin’ the basics. good job findin’ it! guess I don’t need ta explain it ta ya and we can just git started then. jus let me know when you’re ready” 

“Wait! I mean sure I know the basics but I imagine there’s more to it and it mentioned that things can change depending on intent and stuff and I’ll admit I’m not a big fan of being frozen in place unable to speak when I’m not in the big white box, although I don’t have any problem doing it that way if that is the only option, and how come I never got to see your soul? And after each of your turns there was always this text that said weird stuff but kinda reminded me of when I read descriptions from the item box and”…finally you slow down long enough to notice Sans’ eyelight is blown wide and is a bit slack jawed. Shoot, were your questions really that ignorant? You thought they sounded pretty reasonable and don’t remember seeing anything about those in the book.

“Sorry for making you spell things out for the dumb human.” You say dejectedly.

Sans slowly blinks a few times as his eyelight returns to normal and his brain reboots from your apparent idiocy. He shakes his head and with a sigh, plops down on the mattress before patting a spot next to him. You’re a little taken off guard that he is actually inviting you to join him and perch yourself on the edge of the mattress.

“look ya didn’t ask anything stupid or anything like that, ‘sides it ain’t like we’re suppose ta go around pullin’ people inta encounters anyway so bein’ confused is perfectly reasonable, jus one er two of yer questions caught me a little off guard tha’s all.” He scratches the back of his skull sheepishly.

“so, ta begin with a monster’s body is technically an extension of our souls, we’re made of mostly magic an don’t have much physical matter, hence why we dust and leave almost nothin’ behind when we die. so our souls don’t need ta materialize outside our bodies normally. now humans on tha other hand are mostly made of physical matter and it tends to inerfer with yer perception and ability ta interact with magic. so yer soul, the core of yer bein’ an where what magic ya do have is consolidated, will materialize outside yer body so it can properly interact with the magic an systems without interference.”

“Oh that kinda makes sense.” Although the explanation clears that question up, you can’t help feeling a little disappointed.

“movin’ on, regarding yer ‘annoyance’ with tha rules of the encounter system…if we are both willin’ we _can_ bypass em...”

“Oh thank the stars! No offence but I hated how restrictive it was, I’m glad we don’t have to d---“

Sans holds up a hand looking nervous, stopping your train of thought. “i said we _could_ bypass them, not that you necessarily _want_ to as they’re in place fer a reason.”

Making sure to look you directly in the eye, so you understand the full importance of what he is about to say, he continues in a low voice. “the more powerful or skillful a monster tha more they can influence the rules of tha system. and that system ya found so restrictive is there fer yer protection, without it any monster could jus reach out and grab yer soul while it’s out in tha open unprotected. in fact worries about things like that r exactly what got us trapped underground in tha first place. if two monsters have an encounter with little ta no restrictions it ain’t so bad but since a humans soul needs ta come out inta the open…” He trails off, “ya sure ya want ta make yerself vulnerable like that? ta me of all people?” He almost whispers.

You try to swallow past the dry lump in your throat and look away unable to hold his gaze. No wonder you caught him off guard. Suddenly the ‘inconvenience’ of not being able to move or talk whenever wasn’t sounding so bad. You’re just about to tell him to forget what you said but something stops you. A small voice from deep within tells you everything will be ok and to give it a go. Sure you’ve been known to leap before you look, especially in your younger days, but this was on a whole other level. You couldn’t possibly be considering this, but the small voice stubbornly continued to insist.

Shaking your head you go to turn back to Sans when something in the corner of your eye catches your attention. At first you don’t know what but then you see a flash and find yourself getting up and approaching the tornado.

Sans looks at you with concern but doesn’t make a move to stop you. Upon reaching the tornado a piece of trash falls out at your feet, picking it up you see it’s a nice cream wrapper. Your eyes widen as you see the message printed on it.

‘The best way to find out if you can trust someone is to trust them.’

Silently, you put the wrapper back in the tornado with ease and return to Sans. He looks a little confused and resigned. You can tell he fully expects you to just call the whole thing off.

That resigned look pulls at something inside of you and so you decide to give into that small, reckless, naively trusting part of you. You sit down more fully on the bed instead of perched on the edge, and meet his gaze again with a shaky, but genuine smile and nod.

He stares at you blankly for a moment before remembering his last question. You’re pretty sure if he wasn’t already sitting down he would have fallen over in shock.

“ya can’t be serious!” He almost yells.

Tilting your head in mock confusion trying to repress your growing amusement at his incredulity you reply, “You’re right I’m not, I’m Y/n.” It takes every ounce of your willpower to keep a somewhat straight face as you see Sans do the best impression of a fish out of water you have ever seen.

“yer crazy.” He whispers.

Unable to keep any semblance of a straight face you give him your biggest, ‘yes I stole the cookie from the cookie jar’ grin. “Nope, still Y/n last I checked.”

His eyelight starts to do a weird wobbly thing before suddenly he is doubled over laughing hysterically turning very blue in the face.

You’re suddenly reminded of the last question of the group you rambled off before.

Waiting for his laughter to die down a bit you ask, “So can I ask you why a stop sign would have anything to do with encounters?”

Still trying to suppress his laughter while wiping tears from his socket, a slightly confused Sans asks, “what are ya talkin’ about?”

“I don’t know. I saw some words during our last encounter that said something along the lines of ‘can’t figure out what person speeds up when seeing a stop sign’. It showed up right after some blue bones, if that helps.”

Sans stares at you for a moment before answering, “well, did ya stop when ya saw the blue bones?”

“Stop? What, no of course not! They were coming right at me so I ran at them and tried to jump over!!”

Opening his jaw to say something but closing it immediately after, Sans stares at you as if you had grown a second head before bursting into another fit of laughter, “pffftt yer face! hehehe, look, stop signs are red right? so jus imagine a blue one instead. blue means stop, orange means go, simple as that.”

“That… that doesn’t make any sense! Why… why would those colors have anything to do with common traffic signs that have perfectly good colors already?!?!

“heh, heh, soul colors. orange is fer bravery right? it takes a lot of guts to run headfirst at an attack, so orange is go. the light blue, or cyan, is patience, gotta be patient and sit still ‘til the attack passes, so the blue is stop. looks like I didn’ give yer thickheaded bravery trait enough credit, it got ya all mixed up and ya tried to run headfirst into a—pfft—stop sign. hehehe, can’t believe i don’ remember that!” Sans shakes his head as he chuckles at you.

You can’t really argue with that logic, it makes surprising sense but is still just… frustrating. It really shows how much you don’t understand about magic and monsters.

“Alright, alright… Can we just move on to the dangerous, unprotected encounter and stop laughing at me.” You say with an embarrassed blush.

“hehe, wait, wait, what did the stop sign say to the yield sign?” he says with a wide grin.

You raise an eyebrow suspiciously, “I don’t know, what?”

“dunno, they were speakin in sign language!” he finishes with a wink.

OH MY GOD! You groan in exasperation, “I should have known. Look, I’m trying to be seriou----“ You forcibly stop yourself from completing that sentence at the expectant grin on Sans’ face.

“…I brought this on myself didn’t I?” Your only response was Sans’ grin getting wider. “Please have mercy, I knew not what I did.” If you get into a dad joke war with Sans now, you’ll probably never get back on topic. 

“alright, alright i’ll give ya a pass this time. so yer last question was about the text that appeared after my turn ta warn ya bout stop signs apparently?” You decide not to dignify that with an answer.

“that was flavor text, at the start of tha encounter, flavor text is given on the nature of the encounter. after the first turn, it usually describes one of tha other participants, an often changes depending on yer **ACT** ions. the info ya get varies greatly depending on yer intent and to an extent the intent of tha other party. could be something as simple as informing ya of their actions or more complicated like a hint on how to end tha encounter peacefully, but more than likely what ya saw was a result of yer intent. i assume you were confused an wanted insight on why i was doin’ what I was doin’ so the flavor text was most likely snippets or a summary of whatever my thought were at tha time.”

That makes a lot of sense you think…or at least more than it did since you’d probably need context or to know more about monsters in order to figure out some of the stuff like the blue stop signs.

“anything else ya want ta know about or are ya ready to get started?”

Starting to feel nervous over what you are about to do you just nod your head.

Sans examines you carefully, “ya know we don’t have ta do this…”

“NO! I want to do this! I’m sure…I…I trust you.”

Taking another long look he sighs, “alright, if yer sure. i’ll leave the options menu up as a guideline but disable most of the other systems…ya _sure_ ya want ta do it this way?"

Swallowing thickly you nod. You know the anticipation is probably worse than what will actually happen.

There’s a tugging sensation in your chest, then with a small ‘pop’ you see your soul suddenly on display before you. The room around you has turned black like last time, but you don’t feel nearly as panicked as you had before. This time, everything feels calmer, even companionable.

“Can I touch it?” You whisper to Sans, entranced by the small force floating between you two.

“mhm.”

Reaching out, you cup the heart gently between your hands. As soon as you make contact with it you feel small goosebumps form across your entire body, as if all of your nerves had been caressed at once. Grinning, you take this chance to really get a good look at your soul. It’s just as beautiful as you remember, with those dim swirls of orange running through the vibrant yellow, drifting like smoky clouds within the heart. Although as you look closer you think the orange might be a bit brighter than it was before and…it looks like there are small patches of shallow cracks that spider web out in a few places.

Looking up at Sans in amazement, you see that familiar blue blush dusted across his cheekbones as his eyelight is focused on your soul. Snapped from the trance he seemed to be under, he quickly averts his gaze and coughs into his hand.

“i uh… sorry.” He says sheepishly.

Something about the way he was staring at your soul leaves you… embarrassed, and maybe a little bit curious? There are obviously some differences between human and monster souls and you wonder what Sans thinks of yours. Has he seen many human souls before?

Well that’s not really a rabbit hole you’d like to venture down at this time, but you do need to get the ball rolling or you’ll never be able to trust each other.

***Sans has mixed feelings about this.**

You start your first turn by pulling up your **Act** options

***Check *Question**

***Joke *Flirt**

**_Flirt_**? Why does that keep popping up! Ignoring the final option, you decide to get right to the point and select **Question**.

“What happened between you and Drake?”

His expression shifts for just a moment and his eyelight seems to waver slightly before he sighs, “he was our neighbor. pulled a bunch of sick shit on me n paps, trip wires, party poppers, graffiti, slander, that kinda thing. the day ya came by he had thrown some firecrackers in a box, paps opened it, n got hurt but he and his buddy where just standin’ there, _laughin’_.”

His fingers curl into loose fists and he continues a bit quieter. “i couldn’t take it anymore, didn’ care what they did ta me, in fact normally im all for a good prank but i couldn’t let them get away with hurtin’ paps like that, so i attacked him.”

Baffled, you shout, “WHAT!? That’s… that’s horrible! Why would he do something like that?”

Sans shrugs in response, “dunno, he’s _yer_ friend, not mine.”

“But he wouldn’t just do something like that! It must have been a misunderstanding. I mean…no offence but you are pretty intimidating, and even you have said communication isn’t your strong suit, maybe he took something the wrong way? Not that it makes what he, or you, did ok or anything.”

Sans looks a little angry at your response, his eyelight flickering yellow and blue for a moment, “i never said two words to the guy. tha day he moved in paps made him a tart ta welcome ‘em to the building. i stayed outta sight down tha hallway, believe me i’m well aware what kinda ‘impression’ i give humans. he got pissy sayin’ paps was tryin to poison him and then he and his damn sidekick started tormentin’ us. the firecrackers were tha last straw, they hurt my brother.”

Nervously, you try to pacify Sans, “Okay, I believe you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed it was your fault… I’m just glad Papyrus is alright.”

Sans blinks a few times before scratching the hole in his head and saying, “’s fine. besides, paps saved ‘em before i did any real damage. coulda been worse.” He seems to have calmed down thankfully, but now he’s avoiding your gaze.

Disappointed in your old friend, you make a mental note to confront Drake about this should you ever see him again. You can’t believe he would do something so cruel, and to Papyrus of all monsters! He’s the sweetest person, monster _or_ human, that you had ever met and you can’t imagine anyone intentionally wanting to hurt him.

You see Sans tense up as he gets ready to take his turn. “a’right so lemme ask ya this, why’d ya let us…no, i know why you let paps stay but why let me stay? even after yesterday…do ya really just want to help me n paps?”

Relieved that he seems to earnestly want to clear the air of misunderstandings and was being direct about it, you answer with a soft smile. “Of course I do! I’ve really come to consider Papyrus my closest friend in…recent years, and I really hope we can get there at some point too.”

I want to help you. I want you and Papyrus to be safe, and the streets aren’t a safe place. I have the extra space and… well after you saved me in the alley, I started to realize that I don’t like being alone anymore. It was a little scary being here by myself… Honestly, the two of you have helped me just as much as I’ve helped you, maybe even more.”

You chuckle, “In fact when you aren’t being a standoffish enigma glaring daggers at me when his brothers back is turned, determined to jump scare me to an early grave, you can be rather funny and it’s clear from how you treat your brother you are loyal and protective and deeply care about those close to you. Maybe just a liiiitle too much but considering everything that’s happened I can understand where it comes from and it’s kinda sweet in its own way. I think Papyrus is lucky to still have his brother around to watch over him.”

Almost as an afterthought, meant more for yourself you whisper, “I know I’d give just about anything to have something like that again.”

Shaking your head slightly to rid it of intrusive thoughts, you see that Sans is still refusing to look at you; although if the dusting of blue on his cheeks are any indication the reason is probably different now. Shoot!!! Did what you say sound like flirting? You didn’t mean it like that…did you? No definitely not, you’re just overthinking things because of your option menu.

“Anyway I know what you did yesterday was wrong, things could have gone very badly and while I’m not exactly ok with what happened, I guess I just wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself. Besides if what you say about Drake is true well… I can understand why you accused me the way you did.

Finally looking up to meet your gaze uncertainly, he appears to find something in your eyes that satisfies him, and the tension from earlier begins to melt away as his turn ends.

***Sans regrets his actions even more.**

He regrets his actions? It’s nice to know for sure that he actually regrets what he did, this is progress!

Trying to keep your tone light and injecting a bit of humor into it, you ask your next **Question**.

“Ok, so now that we’ve mostly cleared the air on why you decided to kidnap me for an impromptu interrogation session, how’d we go from that to the encounter?”

You see him flinch at your choice of words but he doesn’t look away this time so you think he realized there wasn’t any bite behind the inquiry.

After a few moments of silence his gaze locks on your soul, an action that sends a small wave of heat to your cheeks. Eventually his eyelight focuses back on your face.

“when i got this,” he points to the hole in his skull, “some things got… lost. memories, mostly things i didn’ think i needed anymore, but there’s somethin that must’ve been important, maybe somethin about a human i used to know, i’m not sure, i jus know it’s bad. i don’t have a lotta faith in humans, an… some of tha things i did underground could get me inta lot of trouble with ‘em.

“when i _thought_ ya lied to me, i figured ya were hidin all kinds of stuff from me jus like… well, i don’t know.” He shrugs, “jus thought ya were tryin to get back at me like some other humans want ta. I was mad but still in control, then…”

His face screws up in concentration and one hand comes up to grip the front of his shirt absently, “then ya tried ta get away I think, an pain, thats about it…honestly, i don’ remember much after that point. s’like i wasn’ really there but… i know i hurt ya. that kinda thing happens more than i’d like ta admit” his face drops at the confession, “i jus black out an when i finally get back ta myself… sometimes i worry that one of these days i’ll end up doin’ somethin’ i _really_ regret. not that i don’ regret what i did to ya! but if ya made it out of the fight still walkin’ with no outside help, well… I musta been goin’ easy on ya.”

Stars that must be frustrating, to always have something on the tip of your tongue but you can’t quite grasp it… and the things underground, he must mean eating humans, but you don’t blame him for that, he did what he did to survive. But jeez, if he calls that going easy on you then you _really_ don’t want to see what happens if he completely loses himself.

“Sans, I don’t blame you for what you had to do underground… it was a horrible situation that you couldn’t help, and you did what you did to survive. Humans have done the same thing when put into life or death situations, I can’t imagine it being even remotely easy to move past something like that.”

You give him your best reassuring smile. “I know technically I should end my turn but maybe… maybe you could tell me some of your triggers? If there’s anything I can do to avoid sending you into one of those episodes again I want to try.”

Sans stares at you with such a mix of emotions it makes him unreadable before coughing into his hand and looking away again. “well… honestly i don’t really know everything that sends me over the edge. anythin’ that threatens my brother is a given, don’t really like bein’ around blood and meat… but mostly it’s humans. like i said, ‘m pretty sure some human did somethin’ before things went to hell underground. i can usually calm down pretty easy if it’s somethin small but… ‘m sorry, i don’ really know what ya can do to avoid them.”

He looks completely dejected before continuing in a voice so low, you almost don’t hear, “’m jus broken.”

“Oh Sans…” Tears sting your eyes as you look at the disheartened look on Sans’ face, “You’ve been through some serious trauma, if you came out of that unscathed _then_ I’d be worried. You have PTSD, lots of people do and it’s not something that goes away overnight, if ever, but you clearly regret some of the things you’ve done as a result and are trying to do your best with the hand you were dealt. That doesn’t sound broken to me, that sounds like someone who wants to be a better person despite everything. That sounds like someone _strong_.”

**“…..................”**

After a bit of nothing but sans processing your words your menu pops up again, along with some unexpected flavor text.

***Sometimes forgiving yourself is the hardest part on the road to recovery, something you are all too familiar with.**

Ok, clearly you both need a little break from **Questions** so you decide to take this opportunity to explore the fascinating world of encounters, selecting **ITEM** and looking at your options.

***Pocket lint**

…Pocket lint? Seriously? Well, you _are_ curious what would happen so you select the… _pocket lint._

***You flick the lint in the air**

***It falls uselessly to the ground**

***Sans is delighted by the exce- _lint_ waste of your turn and lets his guard down… _just a little_**

… You slap your forehead in exasperation, “Seriously? I wasted a turn on that?? And how in the world did you throw a pun into _my_ soul’s words?!?”

Doing nothing to hide the smug grin on his face, Sans simply shrugs, “who knows.”

You narrow your eyes at Sans but when he gives you a wink, you can’t keep a straight face any longer, “pffft… you’re ridiculous. Just take your turn already.” You say with a chuckle.

“what’s a clothes dryer’s favorite brand of chocolate?”

You quickly try to think of all the different brands you use for baking and draw a blank “I don’t know, what?”

“lindt” He replies, picking up the piece of lint you used on your turn and offering it back to you cheekily.

“…… Pfftt, hahahaha! Alright, I’ll admit that was a good one, but you just wasted your turn on a joke!”

With a grin still plastered on his skull he answers, “worth it, besides ya set it up so perfectly i jus couldn’t resist.” He says giving you another wink and dropping the pocket lint.

***Sans is incredibly pleased with himself.**

Of course he is. You roll your eyes but are glad you were able to cheer him up. (Plus maybe you could steal that one to use at your bakery later.) Looking at your menu you decide to try **Checking** him next.

***SANS ~ 1 HP 1 ATK 1 DEF**

***Is very uncomfortable with sharing but is trying his best.**

***Sometimes wishes he could just fall down.**

Fall down? That’s a weird thing to wish for, but you can understand the uncomfortable with sharing bit. You guys have been tackling some pretty heavy subjects but you are grateful he has opened up as much as he has. However the part that most concerns you is that his HP, ATK, and DEF are all 1… are those his stats? Is that normal? Your HP was 62, is that because you’re human? So much for wanting to give questions a break because now you have even more.

You feel a current run through your entire being like what happened during your last encounter, neither pleasant nor unpleasant but you think it might be…softer? Easier? Than last time but aren’t sure. You assume Sans must have checked you and briefly wonder what he found out.

He lets out a small chuckle and smiles ruefully then motions for you to go ahead as the menu pops up.

***Realizes finding out your reaction to blue attacks should have been his clue that PATIENCE was not one of your virtues.**

…….Don’t tell me you just gave him something stupidly simple like ‘is impatient to ask another question’ you silently beg your soul.

Taking a moment to scrutinize Sans you see his rueful smile turn into a much more genuine grin as he winks and makes another motion for you to continue. Well scumber muffins, looks like you got your answer. You are definitely going to have to have a talk with your soul later about fair and equivalent exchanges apparently.

With a sigh you ask your **Question**. “Sooooo, I just checked you and noticed your uhm… well it looks like video game stats honestly, they’re all 1. Is that normal for a monster? I don’t know what my ATK and DEF are, but it looks like my HP was 62 so I was just wondering why there’s such a huge difference.”

Almost instantly you regret asking as the easy grin was wiped from Sans’ face and he tenses back up at your question, then turns his gaze away again. Clearly this was not a line of questioning he had expected.

“no. it ain’t normal.” Is all he says. You wait for him to elaborate but it doesn’t look like this is something he wants to tell you right now. It doesn’t seem like something you really need answers to immediately, but knowing his stats aren’t normal and they appear to be incredibly low has you concerned. Every time he hit you, your HP dropped by at least one point, and if he only has one to spare then… 

“Sans, is it dangerous for you to have HP that low? Does that mean one hit could…” You don’t think it’s necessary to finish that sentence, he gets the point.

Sans doesn’t say anything for a while, simply studying you before shaking his skull and shrugging it off.

“don’t worry bout me, been like this a long time n still around ain’t i? besides i‘m pretty good at dodgin’.”

There’s a moment of silence before he sighs. “looks like it’s my turn.” He glances at you for a moment before his eyes flicker to the door, “so, what’s behind the locked door in tha hall.”

Your eyes widen at the question, of all the things he could ask about, you hadn’t expected that to be a question. In fact with his ability to come and go at will, you’d expected him to have already snooped in there. Your mouth suddenly feels dry and you try to swallow the lump that’s forming in your throat. Squeezing your eyes shut you try to remind yourself that this was _your_ idea. It’s okay, take a deep breath and relax, you can do this.

Opening your eyes and looking away, you answer in a whisper, curling in on yourself a bit. “It was my parents’ room. They’re not…they………they’re not around anymore… ” 

“…”

***Sans is ashamed he let his paranoia run wild.**

Taking a peek back at Sans, you can’t read his expression, his face is perfectly schooled in a neutral pose.

Well, now that this can of worms has been opened you might as well see what can be done with it.

“Hey Sans do you…do you remember your parents?” The **Question** hurts to ask, but you want to know what happened to them. Paps mentioned Sans raised him from a young age, so maybe if he can relate to your loss it could bring the two of you closer.

His neutral expression wavers slightly, “never had ‘ _parents_ ’.” Is all he says. They didn’t have parents? Is that even possible, or does he just mean he was too young to ever remember having any? 

Pulling you from your thoughts he asks gently, “so whose room are we stayin’ in?”

With a long sigh you force back the tears that sting your eyes and answer, “my baby brother’s.”

Sans drops his poker face to give you a sympathetic look.

***His soul remembers how it feels to lose a brother.**

…

His soul remembers? That’s an odd way of putting it. Did they have another brother? Curiosity urges you to ask but considering this seems to be a sore subject for both of you, maybe pushing too far, too fast isn’t the best option. If he started asking you for details you aren’t sure you could even give him any right now, and by the looks of it he seems to be in a similar boat. Looking through your options, you wonder what happens if you **Check** him again.

***SANS- 1 HP 1 ATK 1 DEF**

***Isn’t like other monsters**

***The Butcher, The Judge, The _Failure_**

Isn’t like other monsters? Butcher… Judge… Failure? Would it really be so hard for these things to give just a little context; you can’t help thinking.

“hey y/n i think we could both use a break. i know ya probably have more questions but since i’m not going anywhere apparently, we can always continue later as either a normal conversation or somethin’ like this again, but let’s give things a little time ta sink in…ya know?”

***Sans has a really bad feeling.**

You see the start of a light sheen on his skull. “Yeah I think you might be right. Can I ask just one more question then we can go have lunch or something?”

“i’m tempted ta say ya just asked one but…sure, go ahead.” He says a little nervously.

“Well uhm, I just checked you again and I saw something… weird? I think? ‘Isn’t like other monsters’ ‘The Butcher, The Judge, The Failure’ Could you tell me what that mea— Uhm… Sans?”

Something you said must have triggered him, because his eyelight has disappeared into the abyss and he’s staring at you with that blank look that sends chills down your spine.

“Sans… are you okay?” You ask hesitantly, your soul is out in the open, vulnerable between the two of you and it would be so easy for him to hurt you. Oh stars this might have been a mistake, you should have quit while you were ahead.

“Sans, please talk to me, you’re scaring me. Look, you don’t have to answer that last question, okay?” Getting off the bed and backing away slowly, you pull your soul in close, trying to push it back inside but it won’t budge.

In a detached voice he responds, “i’m the butcher because i killed them all. every. last. one. killed them… chopped em up… served them to the monsters. didn’t eat them though, couldn’t bring myself to do it… course, i was pumped so full of DETEMINATION that it didn’t matter if i ate, i’d go on. that’s what makes me different. that’s what makes me an _abomination._ ”

Stars what’s happening? He killed… the humans? But didn’t eat them? And what does he mean by pumped full of determination?

Tone getting deeper and sounding almost… distressed, Sans continues, “i didn’t ask for this. i didn’t ask for _any_ of it _,_ but monsters were starving… i couldn’t let paps do it, he didn’t deserve to go through that. an most other monsters wouldn’t stand a chance against tha humans, so it was on me, _the butcher._ but that’s not all i was, no, i was also the _judge_. I was supposed to judge everyone equally, give them a chance, but i didn’t do that. i _murdered_ themwithout proper _judgement._ some of them were probably innocent, _scared,_ but what does that matter when everyone around you is _dying_.”

He’s tugging on his eyesocket, and you don’t know what to do. You’re afraid if you touch him, he’ll snap and attack you. He seems to be talking to himself more than you, and you wonder if he even realizes you’re still here.

His face twists into a disturbing smile before he continues, “ _he_ made me without realizing what it is he created. thought i was a failure cause of my stats, heh, my stats are low _because_ of my role. but he found that out eventually _._ really did a number on my soul, killing all those people without judgement, if i wasn’t already screwed up from the blow, i might’ve dusted from the guilt.”

Tugging harder on his eyesocket, you notice it’s starting to crack under the pressure, if he doesn’t stop soon he’s really going to hurt himself.

  
“Sans please stop, you’re hurting yourself!” You plead, but he doesn’t seem to hear you.

“funny enough, only reason i survived that blow was because my body already had the determination ta hold on. gave me enough time ta shortcut down to the true lab n give myself another dose without turning inta one of _them._ ”

You hear a tiny crack, “Sans enough!” You shout, “Please, you were right, let’s end this and go find Papyrus!”

Sans continues as if you’re not there, blue tears beginning to streak down his face, “least the ones _she_ made got a second chance. the ones _he_ experimented on were disposed of before anyone ever got wind of what he was up ta.”

“Sans please, it’s all over now, you’re safe on the surface and nobody is going to hurt you! _Just stop.”_ You beg.

_*crack*_ You see a chip of his skull fall to the ground and can’t take it anymore. Rushing forward and throwing your arms around Sans, you pull him into a tight hug to try and calm him down but when the two of you connect, your soul seems to sink into his chest and a blinding white light flashes before you lose all sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y/n, blinking her eyes open against the blinding light- W-what is this place?
> 
> Sans, in a relaxed Lotus pose, sockets closed- welcome to Nirvana
> 
> Y/n- ..... you're joking right?
> 
> Sans- ;)


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for car accidents and family loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there beautiful readers!! Hope you're all staying safe and sane ^.^ It's still technically Saturday somewhere... so we aren't late on the update right?? >.>
> 
> Anyways, just so it's all out there, we wanted to make sure everyone knew reader's current age is 28. She lost her family when she had turned 18 and it's been 10 years since that fateful night... *sniffle* so boom.... age... lol (Sorry, it's late where I am, and I'm loopy)
> 
> Just wanted to give you context because while it may come up later on, it helps to know her age when you're reading this chapter.
> 
> AAAANNND BEFORE I FORGET! I do not own Dr. Seuss or any of his works, especially not the masterpiece, 'Oh the places you'll go.' I merely borrowed some of his words because we could all learn a lesson from the Great Dr. 
> 
> Sorry for rambling slightly.... Good luck, and enjoy...

_“OH! THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!_

_You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers, who soar to high heights._

_You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you’ll top all the rest._

_Except when you don’t. Because, sometimes, you won’t._

_I’m sorry to say so, but sadly it’s true, that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you._

_You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch._

_You’ll come down from the lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump._

_And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-Slumping yourself is not easily done.”_

“Mommy, why isn’t it easy to un-slump yourself?”

“Well sweetheart, sometimes when you’re really sad it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everything has the potential to get better, but we can’t always see past our own issues long enough to realize that.”

“Well I realize that already, so I should have no problems un-slumping myself! I’ll even help others out of the Slump!”

“I have no doubts that you can sweetheart.”

~~

“Daddy, daddy look! I made a cupcake all by myself!”

“Oh wow! That looks great munchkin, can I try it?”

“Yep! I made it specially for you!”

“Mmm let me just give this a taste-- *cough gag spit* ahem, uh hun… this is a little… a- _salt_ -ing on the taste buds, did you forget to use sugar again?”

“No! I used all the sugar we had left in the bag! See!”

“Oh munchkin, that’s the salt bag.”

~~

“Drake!! Hey how are you!”

“Hey Y/n, didn’t see you there short-stack, how’s it going.” He says, pulling you in for a noogie.

“Stop stop stop!!! Gah you know I hate it when you do that.”

“Heheheh I can’t help it, someone has to keep you in line.”

With a pout you say, “I’m telling Sarah you’re being a bully, then we’ll see who reeeeeally puts who in line.”

Throwing his hands up in defeat he responds, “Woah woah, no need to bring in the big guns, I’ll play nice. Whatcha got there?”

“Oh, it’s a batch of cookies for you and Sarah. I know she was excited about your first anniversary and I knew you’d drop the ball, so I went ahead and made you a gift for her.”

“Seriously!? Ah man you’re the—”

“BUT after that noogie, I don’t know if you deserve them.” With a sly smile, you hide the cookies behind your back.

“Worst! You’re the absolute worst!”

~~

You’re sitting in the backseat of your parent’s car, staring at your new baby brother while he sleeps peacefully. He has his tiny little fist wrapped around your finger and you can’t help but think he’s the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen. With his rosy pink cheeks and tufts of thick brown hair, you think he looks like a little cherub and you wish he could stay this cute forever.

“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” Your mom smiles back at you.

Looking up at her and smiling you say, “Yea, he is. I can’t wait until he sees the surprise dad and I made for him.” 

Laughing softly, your mom says, “I don’t think he’s going to know what’s going on.”

“Yes he will. He might not be able to voice it, but I bet he’ll know.” Your brother gives a tiny yawn in response, and you take that as a sign he’s listening.

“She’s right honey, why, I’d _bed_ good money he'll think it’s in- _crib_ -able.” Your dad says with a wink in the rear-view mirror. 

“Oh ha ha you’re so f—” Your mom is interrupted by a loud *screech* as the car loses control and you find yourselves spinning in circles.

You throw your body over the baby’s car seat and brace yourself as the car continues to slide off the road. With a sickening *crunch* the car slams into the barricade and for a moment you feel weightless, before realization sinks in that you’ve crashed through the barrier and slid right off the edge of the bridge you were crossing. Looking up, the adrenaline pumping through your system makes everything seem to pass by in slow motion.

With a jolt, the car slams into the icy waters and you’re thrust forward before the seat belt catches you painfully. Disoriented for a bit, all you can hear are the screams of your brother and your mom calling out your name as the car bobs for a bit then levels out slightly as the cold water begins rushing in.

“Y/n, Y/N!” Your mother screams, “Look at me sweetheart, we don’t have much time!”

With tears in your eyes you let it sink in that you’re still in danger, you can feel the panic start to grip at your chest, “M-mom, mom what’s happening what do we do oh my god dad! _Dad!_ ” Your dad is slouched over the steering wheel, deflating airbag half obscuring him and all your panicked mind can register is the water rushing around his limp body.

“Y/n, I need you to listen to me—” Your mother says in a calm voice.

“But dad—”

“Will be fine, I need you to take a breath Y/n”

“B-but mom—”

“Y/N LOOK AT ME!” She shouts, pulling your attention away from your father and onto her, who you now realize is waist deep in the frigid water, which seems to be getting redder by the second. “Y/n count to three, deep breaths now, one… two…three...” You try your best to take in shaky breaths, counting with her in your head as you attempt to calm down. 

“You need to unbuckle yourself and your brother,” You comply, fingers shaking as you work the straps in your brothers’ car seat, “Good, now take this and once you have the baby secure, break your window, aiming for the middle.” You see her wince, and her face momentarily contorts with pain as she reaches back to hand you what looks like a hammer with a pointed head instead of a flat one.

“But mom what about—”

“Y/n just do as I say! We don’t have time for this! You. Need. To go. Now!” The water is almost to her chest, why isn’t she moving? No, you can’t focus on that now, she knows what she’s doing. Taking the tool from your mother then grabbing your brother, you take a deep breath and nod your head. “Good sweetheart, now break the window and get out! We'll be right behind you okay? I love you.” 

“I-I lov--” Your throat closes up so you just nod again as you see the look of unconditional love and determination hiding the pain in your mother's eyes.

Turning, you see that the water is about a third of the way up your window so you take another deep breath and brace yourself as you smash the window. The freezing water floods in, drenching you. Trying to keep your brother as dry as possible, you quickly place him on the roof of the sinking car and haul yourself out the shattered window, scraping and gouging your abdomen, hips, back and legs on some of the glass still left in the window frame as you struggle to pull yourself out while the water flooding into the car tries to push you back in.

Once you manage that, teeth chattering from the cold and quickly numbing your cuts; you grab your brother and push off the car heading for shore only to be quickly swept away by the rushing current.

You struggle to keep both yourself and your brother above water with only one available arm and your clothes trying to drag you under like lead weights. Trying to at least get rid of your shoes, you end up going under but manage to keep your brother above you. Luckily it worked and as you surface gasping for air you could swim slightly easier.

Slowly, laboriously, you make your way to shore until you finally reach solid ground. Dragging yourself up the shallow slope you lay there, trying to catch your breath, having no idea how long you've been struggling to stay afloat or how far the river has carried you.

You scan the river wildly, trying to find any sign of your parents and realize the current had swept you far from the bridge. _They’re gone. What are you going to do!?_ “Mo-m… _Dad_ …” you cry.

A shudder runs through your whole body and some of your muscles start seizing up, your tears feel hot against your frozen skin. Luckily your brother is still bawling so at least you know he is somewhat ok, although if you don’t find help soon then he might freeze to death.

As the muscles contractions lessen, dark spots start to overtake your vision and you feel a hot searing pain in your abdomen and leaking from your back and legs. You feel your consciousness start to get overtaken by the darkness and you claw your way back, fighting your bodies exhaustion tooth and nail.

  
  


“Shh shh it’s okay, we’re gg-oing to be o-okay.” You whisper to your brother through chattering teeth. You can’t give up yet, he’s depending on you. You can’t lose everyone tonight, _you won’t._

“You’re going to b-be okay”

You can hear your brother now alternating between loud wails and sniveling whimpers. You smile slightly at the lungs on this kid which are definitely better than yours and pull him close to the burning sensation in your abdomen hoping to share some of your warmth with him.

With your thoughts wandering you don’t notice the darkness slowing dragging your spent body and mind back under until it’s too late. Terror shoots through your very core as your brothers’ wails follow you into oblivion.

~~

“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”

“It will get easier with time.”

“I just lost my father last spring; I can understand what you’re going through.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Over and over and over again, if one more person tells you that they’re sorry you might scream. You’ve had enough; you just want to be alone. Please leave, please go away.

You’ve done a good job so far of keeping it bottled down; the hospital gave you some decent medication to help get you through the day, but if one. more. person. says ‘I’m sorry’ then you’re going to explode.

Excusing yourself, you head back to your room and leave your ‘guests’ to talk among themselves in the living room and kitchen. You don’t even know half of these people, they’re all friends of your parents who wanted to offer you their condolences but what good is that? They’re gone, they can’t hear any of this and it means nothing to you, so why do you have to listen to it.

You just want quiet, you just want to be alone. They’re all so loud; you can’t even get any peace in your own bedroom! Climbing into your closet you shut the door and stuff a blanket into the crack below. With several barriers now in the way, you are successful in muffling out the noises from the other rooms. Finally, no more sound, no more light, just nothing.

Covering yourself in heavy blankets and clothes, you curl in on yourself and think about how there are no tears today, no matter how heartbroken you are they just won’t come. You had spent so much time crying at the hospital that now you just feel numb, your heart is throbbing painfully in your chest. If you didn’t know any better you would think being heartbroken was a literal thing instead of an expression, as with each throb you swear you could feel something inside you crack. Everything is so cold, so dull; you just want to lay here and never get up… Can’t you just stay here forever? 

~~~

“y/n?” You think you hear someone calling your name, but the darkness is trying to pull you further into its numbing embrace. You just lost your parents, your brother is gone because of you, it’s entirely your fault, you have nothing anymore. You’re all alone in this world and don’t know what you’re going to do.

“y/n!” Just like that, everything you love is gone. Better to let the darkness drag you down into sweet oblivion, what’s the point of trying to go on? You’ll never hear your fathers’ puns or taste your mother’s cooking again, you’ll never see your brother grow up… You’ll always be alone.

You feel the darkness break off tiny pieces of you as you continue to fall, but you don’t care anymore. You deserve this… you’re so. . . tired.

“ y/n please!” Just as you feel the darkness try to break off larger bits, a blue light surrounds you.

Fear, pain, sadness, longing, exhaustion, but mostly _understanding_ pour into you from that blue light as it stops the darkness from taking any more of you.

Gently you feel the light coax you to rise from the darkness. Softly echoing your loss with understanding born of its own remembered suffering, it encourages you to not give up just yet because out there, are still people that really care about you.

The blue light draws you towards a shifting, flickering, broken white light being eaten away by its own darkness. It pulses at you in welcome and you are filled with the feeling that this fractured light was completely foreign to you but was once…familiar.

You find yourself reaching towards it and just as you are about to touch it someone grabs your shoulder and starts shaking you roughly. 

“y/n, snap out of it!” Focusing your eyes, you start to see a blurry outline of… Sans? Blinking, you realize there are tears streaming down your face and you have one hand outstretched, laying lightly against his ribs. 

Looking into his face, you notice Sans looks… concerned, “y/n, can ya hear me now?”

Nodding your head slightly towards him, he exhales in relief before releasing you.

“i uh… i think we need ta have another talk…” Sans says quietly.

Nodding again, you shakily start to untangle yourself from him feeling heavy and slow but when you go to move away something prevents you from doing so. That’s when you notice the blue heart floating above one of Sans’ hands. Seeing your line of sight, he gives a small start and the blue heart turns back to yellow and orange. Before you get a chance to examine it, he seems to guide it gently over to you, where it quickly sinks back into your chest.

Plopping back onto the bed you pull your knees up to your chin and wrap your arms around them.

Sans carefully sits next to you, watching you closely, “i’m sure ya have some questions…”

“It’s all my fault.” You say numbly, “They’re all gone and it’s my fault. She trusted me to save my brother… maybe if I would have waited then she could have gotten out and we could have—”

“all died together. there wasn’ anythin’ ya could’ve done to help ‘em y/n.” Sans reaches a hand out to touch you, but you flinch back.

“That’s not true, he died because I wasn’t fast enough, wasn't strong enough, I should have done more, I could have…” You say quietly as more tears fall, “He was only a few days old… and I let him die. I let my mom and my dad drown. It should have been me. Why couldn’t it have been me…” 

Why did you have to relive that moment? Why is this happening again? It’s been so long… you’ve moved past this…. haven’t you?

Staring at a particularly interesting dust bunny in the corner, you numbly ask, “What just happened? Why did I just…”

Sans reaches a hand up to rub the back of his skull, “…that was a soul flash. when two souls touch, they can share uh… flashes, memories from their pasts. s’like bein there yerself, not something monsters tend to do outside of soul bonds but it’s not unheard of. s’pecially when ya ambush someone like that.” He mutters that last part, but not low enough that you couldn’t hear.

Turning your head to face him, you say, “I was trying to stop you from hurting yourself, your eyesocket started to brake and I couldn’t just…” Finally making eye contact with him, you take in the concern in his expression before focusing on the missing chip and the crack that’s formed below his right eyesocket. “You’re hurt Sans.”

He reaches up and gently touches the new crack in his skull, “’s’nothing i haven’t dealt with before.”

“I’ll go get you a candy.” You respond as you stand from the bed and walk to the kitchen to grab the jar of monster candies the boys had brought with them.

It’s okay Y/n, it was just a memory. It happened years ago, you’re fine, you’ve dealt with this already. You’re not alone anymore, breathe. One… two… three… You can do this, don’t be selfish, Sans needs this candy to heal his wound, you’ll be alright.

Tears silently start trailing down your face again as you struggle to get the lid off the stupid candy jar.

Coming up behind you, Sans reaches around and carefully pries the jar out of your hands. “s’ok this thing gets stuck all the time. you could say it needs a magic touch.” He chuckles weakly. 

Not in the mood to acknowledge his attempt to lighten things, you head to the living room and curl up against the arm of the couch deciding you didn’t want to go back to what had almost been your brother’s nursery.

After a few moments, Sans joins you on the couch, candy in hand. “thanks…” Sans mumbles before unwrapping and popping the candy into his open jaw.

You watch as the crack starts to heal itself and even the chip starts to fill itself in. You breathe a sigh of relief.

In a soft tone you say, “I was worried about you, you started saying some pretty… scary things. Seeing you crack your eyesocket, I couldn’t just stand by. I’m sorry for grabbing you like that and making our souls… flash, but I couldn’t let you keep hurting yourself.”

“s’fine… i get it…”

The two of you sit in silence for a few minutes, before you close your eyes and finally ask, “Did… did you see the same things I did…”

He doesn’t answer immediately, you imagine he’s probably trying to feel you out before he responds, “yea, ya threw yer soul at me so it shared some of it’s memories. i uh… i saw, and i _felt_ everythin’ you did.”

“… How… how does that work? You feeling what I did?” You ask as you open your eyes and look back at Sans.

“touchin’ someone’s soul, sharin’ those soul flashes, it’s like lettin’ someone walk in yer shoes. i saw everythin’ that happened as if i were you, only when i came out of it, i could tell that it wasn’t really my memories, but that doesn’ mean i didn’ feel it all. but fer you it woulda been like bein’ there all over again… are you… are you okay?”

You swallow the lump in your throat before answering quietly, “Yea… I’ll be fine.”

At least you won’t have to explain what happened to your family; if he experienced that memory like you did, then he knows how much it hurt. The fact that he actually felt that moment in your life, is somewhat… comforting? For one moment in time, he stepped into your shoes and felt all of the love you held for your family, felt the loss exactly as you felt it. This isn’t the feeling of similar loss, everyone loses someone after all, but he truly felt _your_ loss.

After everything happened you had heard plenty of ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ ‘I know what you’re going through’ ‘I’ve been in your shoes, I know how you’re feeling’ but none of that meant anything to you. They were just empty words that didn’t quite resonate the way they were meant to, and it wasn’t anyone’s fault, you just didn’t want to hear any of it. At the end of the day, they were just words and words couldn’t bring them back.

“Hey Sans…during the soul flash… why was it just my memories we saw.” You couldn’t help asking.

After a moment, Sans responded in a gentle tone, “it’s about the intent. when ya rushed me you were trying ta help me break out of a bad place. yer soul responded to that intent n i guess it decided to operate under the logic of misery loves company…”

Guess that makes sense, and hey looks like you were right, it did end up snapping Sans out of his own problems…

Suddenly you feel incredibly ashamed; you’ve been wallowing in grief for years, all the while monsters starved and died under a cold, dark, uncaring mountain, and you have the audacity to think you have problems? He must think your problems are insignificant. He had to kill people just to survive… had people depending on him, cold… hungry… scared… Who were you to think that it’s the end of the world simply because you lost your family? Sans felt your pain and compared to his own, it must have been a walk in the park. You shouldn’t have burdened him with those feelings; he must think you’re pathetic and weak. ~~_You really are._~~

Unexpectedly, the smell of pine trees and iron invades your nostrils, and you realize that Sans has pulled you into an awkward side hug. Glancing up you see his skull has turned blue again, but he’s making a point to look away from you so you can’t read his facial expression.

Accepting this gesture, you lean in and wrap an arm around his torso, an easy feat considering he’s made of bones. You notice how warm he is despite his anatomy and wonder if it’s his magic that’s causing this. He’s also rather comfortable to lean on, though this may have something to do with the fluffy jacket he’s wearing and how exhausted you are.

~~_You don’t deserve this gesture, he just feels sorry for you._~~ Relaxing into the warmth of his side, the two of you sit in companionable silence; him seemingly lost in thought and you silently letting the tears flow until you eventually cry yourself to sleep.

*****

Sans turns his eyelight down to examine Y/n, she’s fallen asleep against his ribcage. He’s not sure what possessed him to wrap his arm around her, but she returned the gesture and trusted him enough to fall asleep in his presence. ~~_Smells so sweet._~~

So it was her parents and brother she lost not a spouse and child. He didn’t get to see what happened to her brother but it wasn’t hard to guess, that whole accident was just… it was a bad deal. For her to go through something like that must have been rough, and to be left on her own after all of it… He has no words.

She had a lot of love for her family, he could feel it in her memories, and he finds himself a little… jealous. The only person that ever came close to a parental figure to him was that _demon_ , and he and Paps were better off without him in their lives. He’d always wondered what it would feel like to be loved by a family, to be cared for by parents that didn’t see you as an object. Thanks to her, he got a small glimpse of that life, it was… nice.

But to have all that love ripped away overnight… She just relived the worst moment in her life, he merely saw the accident, saw the ‘funeral’, and he felt the depression she had spiraled into. He may have only gotten a glimpse of it, but he knows that feeling all too well. If she had been a monster, she would have eventually fallen down in that closet. Almost did again if he hadn’t snapped her out of it.

Unconsciously pulling her closer, he can’t help but feel some deep need to protect her from those feelings. Where was this coming from?

When she told him she had lost her brother he felt… he could relate. An ache he didn’t understand shot through his soul at the ~~_memory_~~ idea of losing Paps, and he’d do anything he could to make sure she never had to feel that loss again.

Maybe he didn’t have parents to take care of him, but he always had Papyrus. He still has Papyrus, she lost everyone she cared about all at once, she has no one now. But… what about Drake? He internally shudders at the residual feelings she held for the Big Dick. He was like a brother to her, so what happened? He vaguely remembers her saying she hadn’t seen him in years, so what happened?

He still has more questions for her, he should have asked more during the encounter but that can’t be helped now. At least he knows what’s behind that locked door; he really didn’t want to keep looking for the key. ~~_Toe socks… lacy socks… rainbow—stooop!_~~

Stars he’s exhausted and she’s so warm, maybe he could just… close his sockets for one… moment…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys... I think reader and Sans just fell asleep together... I can't imagine how this could play out ;P
> 
> But more importantly!!! We got our first fanart!!!! >o<*highpitched squealing ensues* (Really hope this link works, I tried!)  
> [ recommended fics by petite-jojo part 3 ](https://savvysp.tumblr.com/post/616399149328416768/petite-jojo-ah-shit-here-we-go-again-part-3)
> 
> petite-jojo put us in their list of recommended fics and omg, the honor! They even drew a cute little picture of the boys and reader and no joke, I showed it off to anyone with eyes in my vicinity. Thank you jojo! <3


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay we're on time!!!! :D
> 
> As always, thank you guys for your amazing support! The best part of my day is reading all of your comments :3
> 
> It shouldn't apply here, but if there are any tags that you feel should be noted, please let us know! We're no good with knowing what to tag haha... ^.^" Just don't want to catch anyone off guard if they have triggers! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this fluffy break in our sea of angst ;)

_This is… nice._

_Sans finds himself in a rolling field of daisies with a vast blue sky above, everything is so warm and welcoming._

_When was the last time he had felt so... calm? Had he ever felt this relaxed before? Life hadn’t exactly been kind to him…. but this place, it was so inviting. There’s a sweet aroma that coaxes him to wade further into the field of flowers, phalanges brushing along the tops; until he spots the source of this wonderful scent….A single cupcake, alone in the endless fields._ _The frosting is a swirl of yellows and oranges, reminding him of that first sunset he experienced when they were freed from the Underground._

_Suddenly the world around him starts to slip away, devoured by the dark, until it’s nothing more than an empty void. But for some reason that lone cupcake remains, drawing him closer with its sweet smell and calming aura. It’s enough to make his mouth water…. But he can’t eat this cupcake! No it’s much too beautiful to just devour, no… he needs to keep it close, make sure nobody steals it, this is **his** cupcake._

_And he’ll tear apart anyone that tries to take away his cupcake._

*****

“PSST, SANS……. SANS!”

“nnnghhhh go away.” Something warm in Sans’ sternum coaxes him to stay, silently begging him not to go. That if he just stays here then all will be right with the world, just as it once was. 

“SANS, WAKE UP THIS INSTANT. WHY ARE YOU CANOODLING WITH Y/N?”

Sans’ eyelids burst open and his single red eyelight expands to fill his socket. Slowly turning his head down to his side, he realizes that Papyrus is right and the human is curled up against him, cuddling him. At some point her arm had snaked under his shirt and now held a tight grip _on his ribs!_

_Shit shit shit shit shit._ How did this happen? _Hnnnnggg_ she needs to let go! _Why does she smell so good._ Damnit Sans get it together, he just needs to adjust her so he can shortcut out of there. He carefully slides his phalanges behind her head _~~so soft~~ _and tries to move her away from him, but as soon as her head lifts from his ribcage, she tightens her grip which sends ~~pleasant~~ shivers up his spine.

Oh stars she’s nuzzling into him now, is it possible for her to get any closer?? “Mmmm so warm. Just five… more… minutes.” she mumbles into his jacket.

Damnit, forget this. She’s feeling him up in her sleep! He has every right to pry her off. Sliding his own hand up his shirt, looking down he notices a steady white light gently shining behind his ribs right under Y/n’s hand. In a bit of a panic he starts plucking her fingers from his ribs one at a time until he finally unwraps her from his side and pushes her to the other side of the couch. 

Startled awake, she quickly opens her bloodshot eyes and looks around the room in confusion. “W-what’s going on.” She says with a yawn.

“WELL, IT APPEARS YOU AND SANS HAVE GROWN CLOSER IN MY ABSENCE. THE TWO OF YOU APPEARED QUITE COZY WHEN I ARRIVED.” Papyrus says with a mischievous smirk. “AM I FINALLY GOING TO HAVE A ROOM TO MYSELF AGAIN?”

Sans’ skull is instantly flooded bright blue, “tha hell is that suppose ta mean paps! ya didn’ see anything. i’m goin out.” He announces before shortcutting to the edge of the forest.

This is ridiculous, he was just trying to be nice and comfort her. So they fell asleep, big deal! It’s not like he was coming onto her or anything, he was just suffering some after affects from the soul flash, she’s a human after all! How sick would he have to be to even entertain the idea of something happening between the two of them. He was the butcher of the underground and she’s a human; there’s no way she would ever consider—

He shakes the thoughts from his head, what the hell is wrong with him! Willing the blue tint from his face and his soul to dematerialize; he drops down to the base of a tall pine tree. There’s no way he’s going back there right now, not with Paps acting that way.

_*bark bark*_ He looks around when he hears the familiar bark of his pal, Daisy. She comes running through the trees and he hardly has time to brace himself before she’s jumping against his sternum and licking his jawbone.

“heheh hey pooch, what’re you doin all the way out here?” He chuckles as she hops off his lap and sits across from him, staring up at him with her tongue lolled out to the side, “well don’t _leaf_ me hangin here, _wood_ ya tell me what yer doin out here?” 

He gives her a once over, she’s pretty filthy! It looks like she’s been digging around in the dirt, probably chased some animal into a hole and tried to dig them out. “ya chasin' rabbits again or somethin’?” he asks as he gives her a scratch behind the ear.

She yips excitedly in response and he assumes he hit the nail on the head, “well y/n ain’t gonna be too happy when she sees ya. how’s about we get ya cleaned up?” The only question is, where is he going to wash her? He really doesn’t want to go back to the house right now and trying to give her a bath in the pond would probably do more harm than good.

“maybe we can hold off on that bath for a bit… wanna take a nap with me first?” Plopping down on her stomach just between his legs, she curls up with a contented huff and he takes that as a yes. Rubbing her ears softly, he rests his skull against the tree trunk and closes his eyesockets. He’ll just take another short nap, pop back in the house to give Daisy a bath and hope that by then his brother and Y/n will have forgotten about that little… incident.

_‘…I… I trust you.’_

He tries to nap but memories from their encounter invade his every thought. She told him… she trusts him… and sure, she didn’t mean to do it but she showed him her memories… she opened her soul to him even after he had dragged her to the rooftops and nearly killed her…

…

…

_Oh stars, THE ROOFTOP!_ Eyesockets bursting open upon realization he’s forgotten someone very important, Sans begins to panic. Oh no no no, Paps is gonna dust him if he finds out Sans left their loyal companion up on the roof! Momentarily forgetting the pooch in his lap, Sans jumps from his seat on the ground, knocking Daisy into the dirt with a surprised yelp.

“sorry girl,” He checks her over and gives her a few quick pats to let her know she did nothing wrong.

“there’s someone i need to go get; promise i’ll give ya that bath later!” He says before taking a few short jumps to his abandoned friend.

Looking around the roof in a panic, he starts digging through his pile of empty ketchup bottles and sprinkles, praying to the stars that nothing bad had happened in his absence. How could he be so irresponsible? What is he going to do if something happened to—

Panic starts to dig it’s nasty little roots in deeper as he imagines everything that could have possibly happened in the last 24ish hours… He just left the little guy up here all alone, scared, probably hungry… What has he done!?

Trying to steady his breathing, he wills himself not to lose focus. There’s someone who needs him right now and he can’t lose it until he knows they’re safe. _Think, Sans, think!_ He left the little guy standing guard by the ketchup bottles while he followed Y/n on her deliveries without Paps. Then the thing with the Dick happened and he snatched up Y/n and brought her here… arguments ensued… encounter… _but what happened to Sprinkles!?!_

Scanning the rest of the roof for his friend, he finally spots his beloved pet rock lying limp near the door.

“sprinkles!” he shouts as he quickly scoops up the small rock in a hug, “’m so sorry i left ya here buddy, ya a’right??” Holding Sprinkles out, he starts examining his friend, only to find scuff marks and some chips lining their bottom, “what happened to ya? _who hurt you?”_ Glaring at his surroundings for clues, Sans stops when he sees the roof access’s door handle appears to have been smashed in with a blunt object from this side. 

Glancing between Sprinkles and the door handle, he realizes someone must have used them to break this handle but why would anyone…

_Y/n_. He left Y/n on the roof with no way down and she must have… Looking down at Sprinkles, Sans sighs glumly. “’m sorry buddy, this is all my fault. come on, let’s go get ya patched up.”

Shortcutting back to his room, Sans sets Sprinkles down in his bed before jumping to the bathroom for some bandages. This was all his fault, he left Sprinkles up there all alone, he left Y/n up there with no way down… He hurt both of them and hardly remembered doing it! _~~Failure~~._

Pushing the negative thoughts aside, he returns to Sprinkles and starts bandaging the scuffs and scrapes they'd gotten, vaguely hearing the sounds of Papyrus and Y/n chatting in the living room.

*****

Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you try to figure out what in the world just happened. You and Sans had been in an encounter, then you saw those… memories… and then…

Oh stars, you fell asleep on him! Feeling heat rush to your cheeks you look up at Papyrus, only to see one of the biggest cat-that-ate-the-canary grins on his face, “SO Y/N, IS THERE ANYTHING _YOU’D_ LIKE TO SHARE?”

“I-I uhm, I don’t know what you could possibly m-mean.” You manage to sputter out.

“OH I’M SURE, CARE TO EXPLAIN WHY YOUR FACE RESEMBLES THAT OF A TOMATO THEN?” Papyrus says, grin growing slightly wider.

You slap your hands to your cheeks and exclaim, “We just fell asleep okay! N-nothing happened!”

“OH I’M SURE THAT’S ALL THAT HAPPENED,” He gives you a mischievous wink before continuing, “I WON’T PRY ANY FURTHER, I HAVE MUCH MORE PRESSING MATTERS TO DISCUSS, SUCH AS THE ABUNDANCE OF GOOD NEWS I BRING!”

Oh thank the stars Papyrus was willing to give you an olive branch; you’re not really sure if you could explain what just happened between you and Sans, even if you wanted to. “Alright, go ahead!”

“WELL, AS I INFORMED YOU EARLIER TODAY, I WENT TO VISIT MY VERY GOOD FRIENDS, THE AMBASSADOR OF ALL MONSTERS ALIZA, AND HER RIGHT-HAND MONSTER, FLOWEY. ALIZA IS ABOUT TO CELEBRATE HER 18TH YEAR ON THIS EARTH AND I’VE MANAGED TO OBTAIN A PERSONAL INVITATION TO HER BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR YOU!”

A birthday invitation…from the ambassador of monsters? Who is just now turning 18??? Stars, you knew she was young but knowing that she had only been about 12 or 13 when she freed all of the monsters, and has had a hand in navigating what was probably a political mine field since then had you quite impressed.

“Wouldn’t that party be pretty exclusive Papyrus? I mean, she’s a pretty important figurehead, I’m not sure I’d really belong there…”

“NONSENSE! ALIZA PERSONALLY REQUESTED YOUR ATTENDANCE, SHE WANTS TO MEET MY VERY BEST ADULT-HUMAN FRIEND, although I may have to change some titles again now that Aliza is reaching the age that considers her an adult by human standards as well… hmm… REGARDLESS! YOU ARE INVITED AND MUST ATTEND, UNLESS YOU WANT TO OFFEND THE QUEEN AS WELL AS THE AMBASSADOR?” He says with a raised browbone.

Is he… is this Papyrus trying to coerce you? _Do_ you want to risk offending the Queen of monsters _and_ the ambassador? Something tells you that isn’t a wise decision, “Well… I suppose if she really wants me there then I don’t mind attending.”

“EXCELLENT! I’LL NOTIFY THEM IMMEDIATELY!” He pulls out his phone and quickly sends a text to someone, before continuing, “NOW, I’VE DONE SOME EXCELLENT RECONNAISSANCE AND HAVE DETERMINED WHAT THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ALIZA WILL BE! CONSIDERING YOU KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT OUR AMBASSADOR, YOU CAN ACCOMPANY ME TO PURCHASE HER GIFT AND I’LL HELP YOU FIND THE SECOND-BEST PRESENT!”

With a small chuckle, you answer, “That sounds great Papyrus. So when is this party?”

“OF COURSE IT DOES NYEHEHE.” He answers proudly, “THE PARTY IS NEXT SATURDAY, AS IN THE SATURDAY THAT IS TWELVE DAYS FROM NOW, I’VE ALREADY INFORMED THE QUEEN THAT WE HAVE WORK TO ATTEND TO SO SADLY WE MAY MISS OUT ON A FEW OF THE MORE TRADITIONAL PARTY PUZZLES, unfortunately,” he mumbles, “BUT I’VE ASSURED THEM WE WILL MAKE UP FOR IT WITH PLENTY OF ENTHUSIASM AND PERHAPS WE Could provide the cake.” His voice trails off at the end but you know you heard him say that he’d volunteered you to provide the cake, but you can’t understand why he would seem so… hesitant?

“We can do the cake Papyrus, that’s no problem? Is there something I should be worried about?”

Fidgeting slightly more than usual, Papyrus says, “WELL… IT’S JUST… _ALL_ MONSTERS ARE INVITED…EVEN IF IT IS JUST TO GIVE A QUICK GREETING…ALTHOUGH I AM SURE THERE ARE STILL A NUMBER OF THEM THAT WON’T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT.”

You take a moment to let that sink in. All monsters huh? You suppose it’s not unreasonable, they were all trapped together and Aliza is their ambassador… “That uhm… well it’s an important day right? We wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone!” _Someone_ is going to have to provide the cake after all, it might as well be you. It’ll be a nice distraction. “I don’t actually know how many monsters there are, we may need to bring in some temporary help…”

“ENOUGH CAKE TO FEED 500 SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT. THAT SHOULD COVER MOST OF THE ONES THAT WILL BE STAYING FOR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AS WELL AS QUITE A FEW ‘RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME’ GUESTS. I AM SORRY TO SPRING SUCH A LARGE REQUEST ON YOU AT THE LAST MOMENT. I HADN’T ORIGINALLY WANTED TO BURDEN YOU UNDULY WITH HOW BUSY WE ARE BUT SOME THINGS RECENTLY CAME UP AND WELL…BUT I ASSURE YOU THAT THE AMBASSADOR IS A PARAGON OF VIRTUE AND SHALL COMPENSATE YOU HANDSOMELY FOR YOUR TROUBLES.”

“That should be… do-able. It’ll be a lot of work, but I think we can handle it!” you say with a soft smile.

“THERE IS ONE MORE THING, ALIZA HAS A THEME IN MIND, BUT IT’S A BIT… _CONFLICTING_ , TO ME. YOU SEE, SHE REQUESTED A CAKE IN THE FORM OF MOUNT EBOTT. SHE CLAIMS FREEING THE MONSTERS FROM THE MOUNTAIN WAS THE MOST MOMENTOUS OCCASION OF HER LIFE AND COMPARED TO THAT, TURNING 18 IS NOTHING. SHE WANTS TO _*AHEM*_ ‘DEVOUR THAT DIRTY MOUNTAIN AS IT DEVOURED ALL OF YOU’. THE ‘YOU’ HERE BEING US MONSTERS. SHE SEEMS TO THINK THAT FEEDING US BITS OF OUR FORMER PRISON WILL HELP SOME MONSTERS LET GO OF THE PAST. IT’S A LITTLE… UNORTHODOX, BUT SHE MEANS WELL.”

That certainly does sound unorthodox, what in the world is this Aliza like? “Well uhm… I think we can manage that.” As long as you don’t have too many deliveries on Saturday that is. Maybe you could show up at the tail end of the party and avoid having to face the Queen and Ambassador for too long. It’s been awhile since you tried to go anywhere with a crowd, this might be a lot to take in.

“EXCELLENT, THANK YOU Y/N!” He says with an excited clap, seemingly shaking all of his negative thoughts away. “NOW I DID MENTION HAVING AN ABUNDANCE OF GOOD NEWS, I’VE BEEN INFORMED THAT MY THREE YEAR SENTENCE IS NEARLY UP AND I SHOULD BE FREE FROM THESE METAL CONTRAPTIONS POSTHASTE!”

Confused, you ask, “What does that mean exactly?”

“IT MEANS MY FRIEND, THAT I’M GETTING MY BRACES REMOVED! THREE LONG YEARS OF SUFFERING, AND SOON I SHALL BE RESTORED TO MY GLORIOUS SELF. I’VE NEARLY FORGOTTEN HOW HANDSOME I AM WITHOUT A MOUTH FULL OF METAL!” Cupping his jawbone between his thumb bone and pointer phalange, he gives you an exaggerated wink.

“Oh that’s so exciting Papyrus!! When do you get them removed?”

“THIS THURSDAY! YOU’RE INCREDIBLY EXCITED I KNOW, BUT TRY TO REMAIN SEATED,” You don’t feel it necessary to point out the fact that you _are_ still seated, he’s excited and it’s adorable. For a second Papyrus cocks his head to the side as if he heard something and you could have sworn you saw a mischievous and cunning glint enter his eyes before being covered up by his natural enthusiasm. 

“UNFORTUNATELY I WAS UNABLE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT AT A LATER TIME SO I WILL NEED TO LEAVE WORK EARLY, BUT FEAR NOT! FOR I HAVE FOUND A SUITABLE REPLACEMENT TO ACCOMPANY YOU ON YOUR DELIVERIES.”

“Oh Papyrus, that’s not necessary I can do it—”

“NO NO, I’VE MADE THAT MISTAKE ALREADY. I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN _**ALONE** _AND BESIDES, _**BURGERPANTS** _HAS WORKED IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY BEFORE AND I ASSURE YOU HE WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ASSIST YOU FOR THE DAY.”

Did he just say burgerpants? There is no way that someone named their child _burgerpants!?_ Is there?

“ _burgerpants!?!”_ Jumping at the sudden exclamation from a voice you didn’t expect to hear so soon, you turn to see Sans standing in the hall holding a box of sea tea; where did he come from? “yer not seriously gonna let that _pervert_ around y/n alone?” 

Pervert?

“SANS! THAT IS INCREDIBLY RUDE OF YOU TO ASSUME, BURGERPANTS IS A PROFESSIONAL AND HE WOULD _NEVER_ DO SOMETHING SO SCANDALOUS TO OUR Y/N.”

Sputtering indignantly, Sans exclaims “are we talkin’ about the same burgerpants? ya do know _why_ they call him burgerpants, right!?”

“OH SANS THAT’S JUST A SILLY LITTLE RUMOR, I ASSURE YOU THAT BURGERPANTS IS NOTHING SHORT OF A GENTLEMONSTER.”

You trust Papyrus, you really do, but after that encounter with sleazeball Sebastian you aren’t willing to put yourself in another awkward encounter, even if Papyrus vouches for the guy. “Hey Papyrus, I’m sure that uhm… _Burgerpants_ is a perfect gentlemonster, but I’d rather not make deliveries with a complete stranger. I can do them alone, I’ll be fine.”

“NONSENSE, YOU WERE SO EXHAUSTED LAST TIME THAT YOU WENT STRAIGHT TO BED, UNLESS THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DELIVERIES AFTER ALL?” He answers with narrowed eyesockets.

Nervously you respond, “Of c-course I had just… forgotten about that.” Quickly glancing at Sans, you continue reluctantly, “I guess I’m fine with Burgerpants helping me.” Surely he can’t be that bad if Papyrus is friends with him.

“nope. not happenin’. i’ll help her instead.” You stare open-mouthed at Sans’ statement, did you hear that right?

“WHAT ABOUT YOUR HOTDOG CART BROTHER?”

“i think my three customers can go a day without a ‘dog.” Sans answers with a shrug.

Looking between you and Sans, Papyrus finally answers, “VERY WELL, MY APPOINTMENT IS AT ONE O’CLOCK SHARP, I’LL NEED YOU AT THE BAKERY TO ASSIST Y/N BY TWELVE-THIRTY, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN MANAGE THAT?”

“sure thing bro. but are ya sure you got the time right?”

“WHAT? OF COURSE I DO? WHY WOULDN’T I?”

“it’s just… i coulda swore ya said the appointment was at two thirty.” You narrow your eyes suspiciously at Sans, this sounds like a set up.

“OF COURSE IT’S NOT AT TWO THIRTY, WHY WOULD I HAVE TOLD YOU THAT?”

“well it _is_ the dentist’s favorite time of day. ya know, _tooth-hurty.”_ Sans finishes with a wink and grin.

You bite back the laugh that threatens to escape and instead look at Papyrus, he appears to have shut down. “I think you _pft,_ broke him Sans.”

“awe, c’mon bro, stop _brushin’_ me off.”

Papyrus snaps out of the trance he seemed to be under with a frustrated, “NYEHHHH!” before stomping from the room. You and Sans look at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter.

Wiping tears from your eyes, you stifle your giggles and look to Sans for answers to a very important question, “So why do they call him Burgerpants?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y/n- Why do they call him Burgerpants?  
> Sans- back before the famine he let two girls convince him to smuggle burgers for them, in his pants. the burgers weighed his pants down though and he ended up flashin’ a whole crowd of people his family jewels.  
> Y/n- O.O Oh uhm… I wasn’t aware monsters had…family jewels… I’ve seen so many running around without being fully clothed and…well…  
> Sans- whaddya mean? ‘course we’ve got family jewels. here, lemme show ya mine. *disappears, then comes back holding a pair of sapphires*  
> Y/n- ……………………………………


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> savvy.exe has stopped working... brain is mush... have chapter!

After the three of you finished dinner, Papyrus ran off to ‘train’ with Daisy and Sans disappeared into his room. You thought he was turning in for the night but the sound of running water caught your attention from the living room; where you were trying to design the cake for Aliza’s party. Which led you to the kitchen where it appears he’s filled the sink with… was that sea tea?

“Hey Sans, whatcha up to?” You ask curiously as you approach him at the sink. You notice he’s holding a rock in his hands, gently using a washcloth to clean it with great care. 

Sans glances over at you and mutters, “jus givin’ sprinkles a bath.”

You cock your head in confusion, “Sprinkles?”

“ya, sprinkles.” He states, as he tilts the rock in your direction so you can see it better. “our pet rock.”

… He has a pet rock? You stare at the rock in question for a moment, remembering once upon a time when you had a pet rock of your own that you aptly named, Rocky. “Why did you name it Sprinkles?”

Shrugging slightly, he answers, “it’s what they eat. they seemed to like it well enough, so it stuck.”

“It eats… sprinkles?” You suppose that makes more sense than Sans just having a thing for munching on sprinkle covered rocks; although with some of the other weird monster food you have slowly been learning about, you don’t think it was that unreasonable of an assumption…But does that mean this rock is actually a monster too? No, if it was a monster then surely it wouldn’t be a pet…right? Maybe it’s just the monster equivalent of an animal? But how does it eat? Does it have a mouth? Should you be saying they/them instead of it or do they have a gender? You think you heard Sans say them. _Do they have feelings?!?!_ Stars you have so many questions!

The blood drains from your face as the memory of a sprinkle covered rock next to a pile of empty ketchup bottles flits though your mind _. Is this that same rock from the roof?!?!_ Did you smash a living creature against a door handle?? Horrified, you come closer so you can get a better look at the rock in Sans’ hands and notice small chips and scuffs that are slowly starting to heal. Is that why he’s bathing them in sea tea??

Sans seems to notice your distress and places a dripping hand on your shoulder, “hey, it’s a’right. heh, ‘m guessin’ ya jus realized you banged my little buddy up a bit right?” he chuckles half-heartedly, “don’ worry. it’s my fault this happened, shouldn’ have left ya up there. ‘sides, they’ve forgiven ya already for a _-salt-_ ing them.” Giving Sprinkles a little wiggle to emphasize his pun, Sans looks at you with a small smile. “takes a bit more after paps than me in that respect, which is definitely a good thing.” 

You almost didn’t catch that last part as the pun sends a painful twinge through your chest, ~~_uh hun… this is a little… a-salt-ing on the taste buds, did you forget to use sugar again?_~~

Quickly shaking the memory from your head, you give Sans a half-hearted smile and urge some of the tension from your shoulders. _You’re fine._ He gives you a concerned look, but after what feels like ages, he returns to bathing Sprinkles. You stay, watching quietly as the evidence of your abuse slowly fades.

“little guy’s been through a lot worse than that ya know. found ‘em on the streets of new home jus before me an paps moved ta snowdin. was out runnin’ some errands fer some off the books pay when i heard yippin’ down an alley; when i went ta investigate i found a little white dog at a dead end. as i approached, it stared vibratin’ an this little guy jus kinda appeared all banged up an stuff. then the dog jus took off, right through the wall; although considering how i like ta get around i don’t got much room ta talk about other people’s weird ways of getting’ from place to place. anyway i took sprinkles back ta paps so he could try healin’ them; i’m not the best with green magic but paps is, and we got ‘em all fixed up. took us days to get em to eat, couldn’t figure out what they liked! then one day i did a… _favor_ , fer muffet and she gave me a couple cupcakes. our new friend seemed to like the sprinkles on top, and well, creative as i am, i named ‘em sprinkles heh. been with us ever since.” 

“Wow.” Is all you manage to say. You’re still trying to come to grips with the fact that this rock is alive and so many thoughts are flitting through your brain. Unable to contain your curiosity, you ask, “Alright, I’m sorry but I have sooooo many questions. Can Sprinkles talk? Walk? Hear? How do they eat? Do they have magic? A soul? Are they a monster or something else? How many others like them are there? Have they been on the surface?? Have I been hurting rock monsters all this time??? Do—”

Sans cuts you off by putting a salty fingerbone to your lips, “stars y/n, take a breath.” Pulling his hand back slowly, he looks at you with a raised browbone.

“Sorry…” You say sheepishly as you wipe the salty residue from your lips, “But it’s just new to me and I’m really curious.”

“heh, really? i couldn’ tell.” Chuckling lightly, Sans pulls the drain on the sink and wraps Sprinkles up in a towel before drying his own hands off. “’s fine. no they can’t talk, it’s more of a vibration that lets me know when they do or don’t like somethin’. they can hear though, so don’t go trash talkin’ em.” He emphasizes with a wink. “they do have a partial soul and some magic, technically they are a monster but more like a sub-species of monster, equivalent to a surface dog so no, they weren’t on the surface and ya haven’t been hurtin’ any others. ta my knowledge they came inta existence from us bein, trapped underground in a limited area and all that concentrated magic had a bit of an effect on tha environment. there aren’t too many of ‘em around, least not any others that i’ve seen and if ‘m bein honest, i’ve got no clue how they move. they’re real sneaky, never been caught. ‘ve tried recording ‘em but the tapes always glitch and then they’re gone, tried watchin’ em but they seem to know ‘m there.” He shrugs, “i gave up tryin’, chalked it up to magic.”

Relieved that you haven’t been committing mass rock murder, you look at Sprinkles, “So how do they eat?”

“wanna feed ‘em?” Sans asks, amused.

“Yes!” You answer eagerly; of course you want to feed them!!!

Reaching over you, Sans opens a cabinet to pull out a small jar of sprinkles. You can’t help but notice the scent of iron and pine that washes over you as he does, and you feel a small wave of heat rush to your cheeks.

The scent recedes as Sans pulls back, looking at you curiously before handing you the jar. “jus’… heh, _sprinkle_ these over ‘em and watch.” He instructs.

“That’s it?” You ask skeptically. It seems a little too easy but what do you know.

“that’s it.” He pats the towel on Sprinkles to make sure the rock is completely dry before unfolding the towel to presumably let them eat.

Raising an eyebrow at Sans, you try to decipher whether this is some sort of elaborate prank or if he’s telling the truth. In the end you decide there can’t be much to lose by dropping some sprinkles on a rock, so you pop the jar open and take a pinch of sprinkles. 

Looking between Sans and his pet rock one last time, you finally drop your pinch over Sprinkles, eyes going wide as the dessert toppings seem to melt away when they touch their surface.

Disbelief written all over your face, you exclaim, “HOLY HABERDASHERIES! They just disappeared!??!” Some of the sprinkles had rolled off their surface and sat uneaten around them, but Sprinkles had managed to eat… or dissolve… or _whatever_ the majority. 

Sans chuckles beside you; clearly amused by your gaping mouth. Embarrassed, you quickly collect yourself before bending down to eye level with Sprinkles, “I am _sooo_ sorry I used you to bust that door open. I’m glad Sans was able to heal you though. I hope you won’t hate me for my ignorance!” 

Slowly reaching out your hand, you gently pet Sprinkles and gasp in surprise when you feel a light vibration coming from the rock, almost like a cat purring. The sensation also sends a small wave of joy through you, and you wonder if that’s what Sans had been trying to explain. Smiling, you give Sprinkles a small peck on (what you would assume was) the cheek, “Thank you for forgiving me.”

“looks like ya made a new friend.”

You smile up at Sans, “Looks like it! Though I wish you would have introduced us before I nearly bashed their..” You glance back down at Sprinkles in contemplation, “Wait, do they have brains? And for that matter, do _you_ have brains? Or organs? Or are you just skin and bones? Sans the skin? _HA!”_ You laugh unexpectedly, the joke just rolled out before _your_ brain could connect the dots.

Sans gives a hearty chuckle next to you, “heh, why so curious? are ya lookin’ for an anatomy lesson or were ya hoping fer a more hands on experience?” 

…

…

Did… did he just flirt with you?

Sans must have realized what he had said because his face immediately lights up like a blueberry, “oh shit ‘m sorry i-i didn’—i mean it was suppose ta be— oh please don’t take that the wrong way, it was just a joke, _i swear!”_

“…… _pfffft_. Oh my stars, _your face!!”_ You clutch your sides at the horror etched across Sans’ skull. It must have been a mistake, some simple joke he had said a hundred times before that slipped through his jaws before he could take it back. Heavens know you’ve been in similar situations, you can’t blame the guy. You try to contain your laughter as sweat begins to form on his skull and he looks like he’s about to die of embarrassment, “It’s fine Sans— _haha—_ you just caught me off guard is all.” 

Clearly trying to hide his embarrassment, Sans quickly starts gathering up Sprinkles and mutters something about putting them to bed before he disappears from the kitchen completely.

Still giggling to yourself, you grab a glass of water and decide you should turn in as well, but before you make it out of the kitchen something catches your eye. Hanging from a nearby shelf appears to be a series of… sticky notes? And they’re attached to a box of penne pasta, _strange_.

**SANS! PLEASE PUT THE PASTA BACK WHERE YOU FOUND IT!**

**ok.**

**NOT WHERE YOU JUST FOUND IT, WHERE IT BELONGS!**

**ok.**

**THIS IS CLEARLY NOT WHERE IT BELONGS!**

**it belongs in the kitchen, it’s in the kitchen. what’s the problem?**

**IT BELONGS WITH THE OTHER PASTA!**

**ok.**

**THAT DOESN’T MEAN MOVE THE REST OF THE PASTA HERE!!! PUT IT BACK!**

**ok.**

**NYEEHHHHH FORGET IT!!**

_… pppfffttt!_ What in the world is this? You shake your head at the ridiculous bone heads. For a moment, you consider moving the penne to the correct cabinet, but you don’t want to disturb the sticky note war the two seem to have going on.

Thoroughly amused for the evening, you finally leave the kitchen and head to your room, shouting a quick ‘good night’ to Sans and Sprinkles as you shut your door.

The nights have been getting chillier with autumn quickly approaching, so you change into one of your favorite pairs of footie pajamas; a black and white set with little orange flippers and a hood that when pulled up makes you look like a penguin. Smiling at the warmth, you decide you aren’t quite ready for bed yet and sit down in front of the dimensional box to pull out your favorite little mystery item. 

***Mysterious Item- Heals S???**

***Filled with good intentions, hope for a better future, and DETERMINATION**

Alarmed, you stare at the words before you. Something’s changed!?! You twirl the object over, hoping that something looks different on the outside but it’s still just a small yellow star. 

Heals S??? Are the amount of question marks relevant? How many were there the first time you saw this… You try searching your brain for the answer but it didn’t seem important at the time, you can’t remember if there had always been 3 question marks but you definitely know there hadn’t been any letters before… maybe it spells something out? Or maybe it’s just _reeeally_ confused about what it heals? Should you… should you try eating it? Other healing items tend to be eaten or just absorbed, but that seems to mostly apply to green magic.

Alright Y/n, think logically. Let’s say it’s supposed to spell something out and the question marks represent letters, maybe it stands for soul? Monsters are big on souls so maybe it heals your soul? But if it does then… maybe you should save it? Maybe it could help if you or someone you know gets injured…

Reaching a hand up to your chest, you remember your encounter with Sans, the wispy oranges that drifted through your yellow soul… and the small cracks that seemed to spiderweb across it. You never asked, but are those cracks something you should be concerned about? Surely not, Sans had seen them and didn’t comment so they likely weren’t anything major… but perhaps this item could heal them anyways?

The cracks are on your soul, it doesn’t take a royal scientist to figure out what could have caused them. You had felt it, and maybe at the time you thought souls were theoretical, but you _felt_ it crack when they… Well maybe this little star could make the pain go away… make all of those memories just disappear… it couldn’t hurt to just try… right? 

Almost as if in a trance, you slowly start to bring the glowing star up to your mouth. _Just one bite and maybe it won’t hurt anymore._ But before you manage to take a bite, new text pops up.

***(You’re carrying too many dogs to use this item.)**

...What?...WHAT?!?! Seriously, in what world do these ludicrous bits of info make ANY sense! Maybe you are crazy because you can’t imagine any other scenario where you could actually interpret these. YOUR DOG ISN’T EVEN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!

Almost as if conjured from your very thoughts there is a knock on your door as you continue to stare incredulously at the little star.

“Y/N! I, THE GREAT AND BENEVOLENT PAPYRUS WANTED TO WISH YOU A GOOD NIGHT AND INFORM YOU THAT THE DEVOTED DAISY IS SITTING DUTIFULLY AT YOUR DOOR, AND I BELIEVE SHE WOULD LIKE TO ENTER.”

Papyrus’ words jolt you from your actions, and you quickly toss the star back into the box, slamming the lid shut. “O-oh okay Papyrus!” Jumping from your spot on the floor, you shuffle over to the door and let Daisy in, “Goodnight, sleep well.” You wave as Papyrus heads to his room.

Shutting the door, you lean your head against it and exhale slowly. What were you about to do!? Eat some mysterious item because it _might_ make you feel better!? What kind of crazy person does that! You should at least let one of the boys look at it first. You don’t even know if that thing is edible! Thank goodness Papyrus interrupted you…by bringing you your dog... Are you psychic now, is that a thing?!?! Why would Daisy being around affect the item? Stars, what is wrong with you…

You hear a small whimper from the ground and open one eye to see Daisy sitting next to you, looking up with worry in her eyes. “Oh sweet girl, I’m alright.” You bend down and rub her head, letting her nuzzle gently into you. “You’re kind of filthy you know? What have you been doing all day? Not bothering those rabbits I hope.”

Your question is answered with a happy *bark* as Daisy spins in excited circles. With a deep sigh, you stand back up and walk past her to crawl in bed, “I really don’t feel like giving you _another_ bath right now. We’ll get to it tomorrow.” You say with a yawn. “You sleep on the floor tonight.”

Rolling on your side, you turn off your bedside lamp and close your eyes but a soft whining keeps you awake. Peeking over the side of your bed, you see Daisy sitting (like a good girl) with her head resting on the bed, looking up at you with the biggest puppy eyes she can manage.

… … … “Son of a biscuit… _alright fine!_ You can sleep up here tonight; I guess I’ll just wash my sheets tomorrow too. Come on then.” You pat the bed beside you and Daisy wastes no time in jumping up, turning around in circles several times before finally curling up beside you. Giving her a little kiss on the head, you wish her goodnight and finally close your eyes to sleep.

~~~~~

_“well here it is, home sweet home.” Sans says as he opens the door to he and his brother’s new cabin. It’s been a month since monsters were allowed to integrate into human society and Sans had finally finished bringing their belongings to the surface. Hoping for some peace and quiet, they purchased a cabin from a nice elderly man that lived in a secluded part of the mountain. His daughter had gotten some high end job on the other side of the country and in an effort to stay close to her; he’d decided it was time to move as well. Suffice to say, he was more than excited when the brothers offered to pay for the property with gold. And the best part was it was only about a 30 minute walk from your parents’ house! (Not that distance was a problem to begin with considering Sans had his shortcuts.)_

_Stepping through the front door, you look around the place with a smile, “It looks great Sans! Much better than those shacks they had you staying in.” The shacks in question being four walls and a roof thrown together haphazardly in an effort to provide shelter for the monsters while they waited for the world to decide their fate. But that’s all over now!_

_Now they’re living in a spacious two bedroom cabin with a basement that Sans has apparently set up as his own little skele-cave. The kitchen is nothing special, just a standard setup from the 50’s with appliances that are nearly as old. Papyrus has already made it known that he plans on making plenty of updates to bring it up to his standards. The living room is scarcely furnished with the ugliest lime green couch sitting across from a large flat screen, an end table with Sans’ favorite joke book inside a quantum physics book inside a joke book inside a… well it didn’t seem to end, and a large terrarium that their pet rock, Sprinkles, lives in. Sans had told you they started keeping Sprinkles in a terrarium when he kept trying to sneak out and explore the surface before the monsters were released. Now that they’re free, the terrarium is kept open so Sprinkles is free to come and go as they please._

_“paps’ room is up here on the left, and mine’s on the right. bathroom is down the hall and that door there,” Sans points to a door through the kitchen that’s been locked at least six different ways, “is the basement. got some dangerous equipment down there, so be careful.” You nod in acknowledgement as Sans explains the layout of his new home, curious about the basement, but focused on something much more important._

_“While that is incredibly interesting, I’m gonna have to insist we put a pin in it for now. What I’m really interested in seeing, is how much of your bedroom you’ve managed to unpack.” You say with a mischievous smile. Papyrus is out helping Undyne and Alphys buy some furniture, leaving you alone with your bonefriend and you plan on taking full advantage of this situation._

_Luckily, Sans seems to understand your intentions and he grabs your hand, pulling you flush against his sternum and cupping your cheek tenderly, “if you were hoping fer a more hands on experience, just say so cupcake. i don’t bite…hard.”_

_Reaching your arms up to wrap around his neck, you place a soft kiss against his skull as he nuzzles into you, just before shortcutting the two of you to the darkness of his room._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) bow chica bow wow lol!!
> 
> Amy says she would love to see some fanart of the penguin onesie scene, and I wholeheartedly agree. If anyone's feeling doodley and wants to bless us with a drawing, it would make us MOST happy ^.^
> 
> If not, your comments and kudos have always been more than sufficient fuel for the heart, hope you enjoyed! And watch out for red herrings (she says mysteriously)
> 
> (P.S. from Amy - Wonder if anyone remembers that sans put the pasta box on a random shelf all the way back in chapter 18. lol There are a ridiculous amount of details to keep straight in this whole fic but it's definitely fun leaving clues, set ups, and call backs to stuff for eagle eyed readers to find. ^.^)


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry we're a day late, work threw a giant flaming curveball at me (savvy) and it delayed the update... But here it is! And we even received another fanart, link will be in the end notes ^.^ Hope you enjoy!!

It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, on days like these, people like him...should have stayed in bed.

Maybe if things had been different, he wouldn’t be so hated. He wouldn’t have a shoddy memory and trust issues a mile long. Human’s wouldn’t cross the street just to avoid him. Kids wouldn’t run away screaming when he smiled, and someone wouldn’t have _trashed his hot dog cart._

One look around the gardens shows a clear sky, birds chirping happily from the trees; the fall flowers opened wide and soaking up the sunlight. Ducks are picking at the bugs in the pond, and if he wasn’t currently staring at his overturned ‘dog cart sitting half submerged in the pond then Sans might have let himself think today was a good day.

Apparently, someone had a _bone_ to pick with him though, and decided to take it upon themselves to put the _water_ in his water sausages. With a scowl, Sans uses his magic to lift the cart out of the pond and return it to its spot under the trees. Was this a monster related attack? A simple prank that just happened to be on him? Some sort of payback for what happened under the mountain?

Who cares… If he goes down that road then it’s going to be tough getting back. What’s done is done and he doesn’t have the energy to get angry this time. Looking around for his stool, he sees it nearby, smashed to pieces. Picking up one of the splintered ends, he examines the piece blankly and sighs. He needed something more comfortable anyways.

Didn’t Y/n mention something about taking Paps shopping today? Maybe he’ll tag along and pick up a new chair and some more supplies. Glancing inside his cart; it’s obvious everything’s been ruined. Underground it wouldn’t have been a problem, waste not, want not and all, but up here there are “regulations”, _tch_.

Well he’s not letting any of this go to waste. Pulling out the remainder of the soggy buns, he takes them over to the pond and sits down on the banks. The ducks are eyeing him suspiciously, but after the first few pieces of bread are thrown in, their trepidation quickly melts into hunger and they greedily gobble up every bite. Some are even waddling up to him, hoping to get first dibs.

Sans softly smiles at the ducks surrounding him, listening to the demanding ‘quacks’ as they compete to get the most food, “don’ worry little buddies, i’ve got plenty here for all of ya. might as well have somethin’ good come outta all this.” He’ll give the bread to these ducks, maybe he’ll drop the ‘dogs off at the animal shelter and save a few for Daisy. She’d surely appreciate it.

… Huh… This is… odd? Did he really just…

Sans glances back at the smashed stool and drenched hotdog cart in contemplation. Someone vandalized his property, an act that just months ago would have sent him into a fit of rage but now he’s just… fine? Sure, he’s upset that he has to replace everything and that whoever did this wasted all of his food but… he’s not as angry as he’d expect.

He’d been angry underground, there had been so many things to be angry about after all, but things almost seemed worse once they surfaced… Sure, they were ‘safe’ and fed, the amount of monsters falling down had dwindled to near nothing and they had the _sky…_ But they also had humans, and for every good human it almost seemed like there were ten bad ones and Sans couldn’t bring himself to trust any of them ~~_until her_.~~

Once they had been cleared to integrate, they were suddenly surrounded by these humans and the amount of negativity drifting from them could choke a person.

And sure, he’d had a rough start with Y/n, but even with everything the two of them had gone through, he felt like some invisible weight was slowly lifting from his soul ever since they had moved in with her. With both Y/n and his brother around there just wasn't much room for all that negativity and that had to be the reason why he’s starting to feel so…normal.

Right?

~~~~~

Intertwining your fingers, you stretch your arms up towards the sky and give a content sigh, “Man, it’s such a nice day out! We’ve got to soak these up while we can Papyrus, the cold will be here before we know it!” You say cheerily to the large skeleton walking beside you, empty wagon in tow. The two of you just made your last delivery and are headed to the mall where Sans should be waiting to join you.

“AH YES. _WINTER IS COMING._ NYEHEHE.” He chuckles beside you. “IT STILL AMAZES ME THAT YOU HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT SEASONS IN ONE LOCATION! BACK IN SNOWDIN, IT WAS COLD AND SNOWY ALL DAY, EVERY DAY! AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE CAPITAL; NEW HOME WAS LOCATED IN HOTLAND AND AS THE NAME SUGGESTS IT WAS VERY HOT. NOT REALLY AN ISSUE FOR MY BROTHER AND I; NO THE **_REAL_** PROBLEM IS THAT THERE ARE CONVEYOR BELTS EVERYWHERE! THERE ARE EVEN SOME PUZZLES INVOLVING THEM WHICH GOES AGAINST PUZZLE DESIGN 101... CONVEYORS ARE AWFUL AND SHOULD NEVER BE USED!!! I MEAN CAN YOU IMAGINE RIDING ONE TO GET TO WORK OR SCHOOL, ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. NOW ICE AND SPIKES, THERE'S CONVENIENCE! I’M FOREVER GRATEFUL THAT GRILLBY WHISKED US AWAY FROM THAT HORRENDOUS ENVIRONMENT.”

You giggle at Papyrus’ rant and try to soak up the little bits of information he’s feeding you about the underground. You’re curious about the world that the brothers had grown up in, but you worry that asking questions could trigger some buried emotions within them, so you resolve yourself to simply listening and letting them tell you stories on their own time.

Papyrus must be feeling nostalgic today, because as the two of you walk he tells you all kinds of fascinating stories from the underground. He described, in great detail, what Snowdin was like before the famine, the snow figures he and Sans made that still remained in place, (at least they were when the boys had left) his very first immaculately built Sentry Station and Sans’ not-so-great-but-equally-as-important Station, until finally he began a story that intrigued you.

“—AND AFTER WE HAD WASHED THE… THE DUST FROM THEIR HANDS, THEY ASKED ME ON A DATE! I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT, A HUMAN WAS _FLIRTING_ WITH ME OF ALL THINGS! NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING, HOW COULD I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, LET A HUMAN WHO HAD CLEARLY DONE SOME… UNSAVORY ACTS, COURT ME!? WELL HOW COULD I BE GREAT AND BENEVOLENT IF I DIDN’T GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO REDEEM THEMSELVES. EVEN THE WORST PERSON CAN CHANGE AFTER ALL, AND WE DON’T GET DO-OVERS SO WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH WHAT WE’VE DONE. I WAS HOPING TO CHANGE THEM FOR THE BETTER AND IF COURTING ME WOULD BE THE PAVING STONES FOR THEIR REDEMPTION THEN BY GOLLY I’D DO IT! NOW AT THE TIME I WAS THOROUGHLY PREPARED FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING DATING! SO I REVEALED MY SPECIAL DATE CLOTHES, AS WAS INSTRUCTED BY MY HANDY DATING GUIDE, AND WOW’ED THEM SO MUCH THAT THEY DIDN’T HARM ANOTHER MONSTER AS THEY MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND! NYEHE!”

“That’s incredible Papyrus, you must have been one great date!” You say with forced cheer. It really is impressive that Papyrus managed to pacify a human that had dusted monsters, but you can’t help but wonder how many they had and why. Papyrus is amazing, you’ll never think otherwise, but if a human had flirted with him to the point they went on a date… it seems suspicious. Up here on the surface you’ve had time to adjust to monsters, but being trapped underground with them is a different story so why would one try to date them? Maybe it was self-defense…

“OF COURSE I’M A GREAT DATE! I FOLLOWED EVERY INSTRUCTION THE DATING GUIDE GAVE ME, AND MY DATE CLOTHES WERE PHENOMENAL. JUST LOOK!” He pulls out his phone and pushes some buttons before turning the screen towards you revealing… well quite a sight.

The picture shows him standing proudly, to your surprise he’s not wearing his signature scarf but instead he’s sporting what appear to be basketballs attached to his shoulders, a cutoff shirt with the words ‘Cool Dude’ written in marker across the front, a cap turned sideways (BECAUSE IT’S COOL NYEHEH), a pair of sneakers with high socks, and shorts.

“WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK?” He asks expectantly, eyelights twinkling with anticipation.

“… It’s… definitely a sight to behold. Words can’t begin to describe this outfit Papyrus.”

“NYEHEHEE I KNEW IT.” The glee plastered on his skull relieves any guilt you may have over your vague ‘praise’. In truth, the outfit is odd, but it appears he made it himself and you won’t be the one to drag his hard work through the dirt. You could, however, give him a few tips.

“On a totally unrelated note, since we’re going to the mall anyways why don’t we look at some surface styles for your next date? It could be fun!”

“WOWIE, THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC!" Then with a smile that looked a little too innocent he continues. “SPEAKING OF POTENTIAL FUTURE DATING CLOTHES, PERHAPS WE COULD GET MY BROTHER SOMETHING BESIDES THAT SHABBY OLD JACKET TO WEAR AS WELL!”

Oh, did Papyrus think there was someone Sans might be interested in? You feel a small twinge in your chest as bits and pieces of last night’s dream come to mind but quickly disregard it as ridiculous and push all such thoughts from your mind.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try!” You smile, looking forward to your shopping trip. It’s been far too long since you’ve been to the mall with friends. “This will be so much fun!”

~~~

Sans was sitting on a bench outside when you and Papyrus arrived. He said he wanted to join the two of you so he could find a replacement for the stool he’d broken earlier today; so your first stop had been to a small furniture store that sold some very comfortable seats. Papyrus had to stop Sans from buying a recliner, stating it would “DISRUPT HIS ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE ON WORK BY ENCOURAGING HIS LAZY NATURE.” So he settled for a blue-cushioned stool instead.

After exchanging a few whispered words with Papyrus, Sans went to drop his new stool off at his hot dog cart; while you and Papyrus started looking for a gardening center. Papyrus insisted that your gift to Aliza should be gardening supplies and you’d remembered one of your clients telling you about a new store called, ‘Flower King’ that was owned and operated by monsters. Hoping they’d have items you’d never seen before, you searched the mall until you finally found it.

As you begin to approach the shop Papyrus freezes for a second before picking you up, tucking you under his arm and hurriedly bolting in the opposite direction before you could protest.

“MY APOLOGIES Y/N BUT I HAVE JUST UH…REMEMBERED THAT IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR US TO GO TO THE MTT BRAND CLOTHING STORE RIGHT NOW, AS THEY ARE PROBABLY HAVING SOME SORT OF SALE. THEREFORE ALL THE GOOD CLOTHES WILL BE GONE IF WE DO NOT GO THERE NOW AND GET AWAY FROM THIS AREA IMMEDIATELY!”

Well that was odd but the boys have done stranger things so you shrug off Papyrus’ bizarre behavior and resign yourself to being carried around like a doll for the time being.

Just as the two of you are about to turn a corner, you see a blue fish monster with fiery red hair pulled back in a high ponytail and a cool patch covering the left side of their face scramble out of the store and frantically start looking around, as if searching the crowd desperately for someone.

You really hope they find whoever they were looking for. 

After wandering around for a bit the two of you find the clothing store as well as Sans seemingly taking a nap on the bench beside it. Papyrus starts vibrating with joy and you suspect it has something to do with his choice of clothing store. The name had gone over your head when Papyrus said he wanted to go to the MTT Brand Clothing store, but looking at the giant replica of Mettaton in the window you finally connect the dots, and the realization horrifies you.

When you told Papyrus he should try out some surface styles, you hadn’t expected them to be from Mettaton’s line of “human inspired clothing.” Now you find yourself sitting next to Sans outside the dressing room, watching as Papyrus does a literal montage of outfit swaps, each one more ridiculous than the last.

The outfits look like they belong in some gaudy Vegas show, with some that contain large flashy feathers and sequins to ones that are covered in so much glitter that when he poses, a shower of sparkles fall to the floor.

“We need to get him out of here, I don’t think my carpet will survive a glitter bomb of this caliber.” You whisper to Sans when Papyrus ducks back into the changing room for the umpteenth time.

“oh i dunno… some of these outfits are _glitterally_ the best.” He emphasizes with a wink.

Glaring his direction, you say “If he buys one of these monstrosities then _you’re_ cleaning up after him.”

“hehehe a’right a’right. i’ll go talk ta him.” He chuckles before disappearing. From the dressing room, you hear a startled shout from Papyrus and you shake your head in amusement as you listen to the muffled exchange.

Deciding you need a short break from the strong perfume scent that seems to hang over the store, you step outside to wait for the brothers to finish in the changing room. Knowing they’ll be able to see you through the glass window, you take a seat on the bench just outside and start people-watching.

One of your favorite games when you were younger was to give stories to passers-by, imagining the couple over there were shopping for engagement rings or that man in the corner was a secret agent, staking the place out for potential threats instead of simply taking a break from shopping. You watch as families pass by and imagine they’re about to take a vacation, buying swimwear and toys for the trip, blissful in their little bubbles.

Then a baby starts crying, a shrill scream that rings in your ears and cuts through your soul. His mother tries to console him but he won’t stop, face turning red as _the cold sets in, freezing his poor little body, draining the life from him with every breathe. He’s not okay, he’s not okay, **He‘S nOt OkAy**._

“Y/N? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Papyrus steps in front of you, snapping your attention from the baby, whose cries have stopped thanks to the bottle his mother placed in his mouth.

“Oh! Yes, I’m fine! Sorry about that, I got a little distracted. Uhm… What are you wearing?” You look Papyrus up and down, noting the white button up shirt with large ruffles down the chest tucked into a pair of bright red pants that are absolutely _doused_ in glitter. _Oh no_.

“AH I SEE YOU’VE NOTICED MY MARVELOUS HOT PANTS. METTATON WORE A PAIR JUST LIKE THEM IN HIS FIRST SURFACE FILM! I’M CERTAIN TO WOW ANY POTENTIAL SUITORS WEARING THESE! NYEHEHE.” He boasts while striking several poses. You admit he looks eye catching in those pants, and the outfit isn’t _AS_ gaudy as the others, but this is definitely not what you had in mind.

Glaring at Sans who suddenly appeared at your side, you whisper, “I thought we agreed, no glitter!?!”

Giving you a wide grin, he shrugs and says, “this was the best option. don’t worry, he’ll clean up after himself.”

Rubbing a hand down your face, you groan internally as this doesn’t appear to be a battle you can win, but you suppose as long as Papyrus is happy then you’re happy as well. After all, things could always be worse. You plaster on a smile and tell Papyrus, “You look wonderful. You’ll have suitors falling at your feet in no time."

Papyrus puffs his chest out proudly. “OF COURSE I WILL, AFTER ALL NO ONE CAN RESIST THE CHARM AND CHARISMA OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” 

“you’re so cool bro.” Sans says with a chuckle.

Your smile turns absolutely devious as you look back to Sans. You may have lost the battle of the glitter but you are certain that had Sans not chosen to defect things might have gone differently. So clearly he shouldn’t be allowed to get away scot free and you think you know just the thing. Like a predator you pounce.

“Of course, you both are right and someone as cool as Papyrus definitely deserves to have a brother whose appearance reflects that as well; so I’m afraid your current wardrobe just won’t do Sans.” You say, briefly reaching up to fluff the trim of his hoodie while smiling innocently, before grabbing his hand and attempting to drag him back into that god awful store for his punishment. With as long as this will likely take you’ll probably have to come back another day to get the gardening stuff, but that’s a sacrifice you are willing to make for the sake of your revenge.

“uhhhhhhhhh…”

Before Sans really has a chance to gather his thoughts to form a coherent protest or escape; Papyrus is already helping you by pushing him from behind. “YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT Y/N, AFTER ALL IT ONLY STANDS TO REASON THAT SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I, WOULD BE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE ONLY SLIGHTLY LESS GREAT THAN MYSELF, AND CLOTHES ARE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF SIGNIFYING THAT!”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself Papyrus!” You say with a delighted laugh. You feel Sans lock up for a moment before letting out a huff and lightly curling his phalanges around your hand as he lets you and Papyrus bustle him back into the infernal clothing store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES!!! We've obtained the hot pants (ง ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)ง That clearly must mean it's all down hill from here! Stay tuned for Sans' new outfit reveal （๑✧∀✧๑）
> 
> Now Vhutch88 gave us exactly what we asked for, Y/n in her footies! And it was better than we could have imagined, thank you soooo much ^3^ They even gave us permission to use it as a profile icon, so yay! Now we just need another one for Amy to use ;)
> 
> [ Y/n in her penguin pjs by @vhutch88-blog ](https://savvysp.tumblr.com/post/618762443919884288/we-got-fanart-and-good-golly-its-spectacular)


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much love! So many fanarts! You guys are making tears come out of our faces! (Well, savvy's at least, Amy is unconfirmed :p) (Amy edit, I don't know what you are talking about. These tears of joy are clearly a result of allergies and not because I'm happy or anything...<3)
> 
> THANK YOU ALL!! And sorry this chapter is a day late, I'm just going to say Saturday's are the goal, we'll try our best!! Hope you enjoy <3

This visit was long overdue, something he should have done a long time ago but was too much of a coward to go through with. Will he even be welcome after all these years? After what he did? And what is he even looking for… forgiveness? As if he deserves it…

No. No it’s been too long, he needs to apologize even if Grillby can’t forgive him. Sans needs him to know how sorry he is…how he regrets the way things went down... Grillby was his mentor, his friend, his savior. He needs to make amends, he’s gone too long without his best friend and it’s well past time he monster-ed up.

Seeing Y/n’s memories was the last push Sans needed to take this step, to try and explain to Grillby that everything he did was for the good of all monsters… he didn’t mean to lie he just… he didn’t know what else to do. But he can’t keep living in the past, there is no **ReSeT** button that’s going to let him try again, try something better, and he has to make things right with the chance he’s been given.

Scratching at the hole in his head while pacing back and forth in front of Grillby’s new establishment, Sans fights an internal battle trying to gather the courage to face his old friend. He purposely came by before opening, hoping to catch him before the bar was crowded with familiar faces.

Hearing a crack of thunder in the distance, Sans looked to the clouded sky and sighs, maybe this is a sign to just do it already. Looking through the large glass window, he shortcuts inside, hoping Grillby won’t be too angry with him for trespassing.

It’s… it’s just the same as it had been underground… A few more booths maybe but it’s all here. The dark woodwork interior, the card table where he’d spent many nights conning the dogs at poker, the neon sign on the wall that read Grillby’s, the (now repaired?) jukebox, the barstools… _his_ barstool… Approaching the very stool he’d spent nearly every night on before the famine, he’d almost swear Grillby had actually dragged it up here from the underground.

Running his hands across the wooden bar, he smiles with nostalgia, remembering all the great times he’d had with the flaming barkeep. _If only we could go back._

Shaking slightly—out of fear, nerves, or excitement, he wasn’t sure— he sat down in the familiar seat, feeling for the first time in years that he was _home_. Tears threatened to spill at the overwhelming emotions flooding through him, and he hoped with all his soul that Grillby would be willing to forgive him. 

Resting his skull on his folded arms, Sans closes his eyesockets and breathes in the smell of alcohol, grease, and campfires as he waits for whatever fate had in store for him.

~~~~~

The sounds of crackling fire can be heard as a blazing figure rushes down the street, trying to make it inside before the rain starts. Stars he hates the rain, the biggest inconvenience he’s encountered on the surface. Underground it wasn’t too bad, it only ever rained in Waterfall after all, but up here it could rain anywhere at any time! It wouldn’t kill him to walk in the rain, but it certainly dims his flames and when he gets caught in a heavy downpour, it drains nearly all of his energy, leaving him bedridden for days in some cases. He’d rather skip that unfortunate ordeal today, after all his mood was already sour enough what with Fuka trying to move in with that new human girlfriend of hers.

Even thinking about it makes his flames dim and flare sporadically with worry, bordering on panic. He’d come so close to losing her underground when they’d been separated... Just how is he supposed to protect her if she’s halfway across the city?

Of course… it could be worse he supposes… she could be moving halfway across the _world_ , and their world is a lot bigger now that they’re on the surface… if she moved that far then he’d never see her, never know how she’s doing, if she were hurt he wouldn’t know until it was too late…

And Fuka does seem to be happy with this human Samantha, maybe he can convince them both to just live with him instead? That would be okay…right? The place is big enough, Fuka wouldn’t have to move and they’d have his protection... 

Finally approaching his pub, he sighs, relieved to have made it to safety before the oncoming rain ruined his day further. Stopping to take a few deep breaths to get his thoughts and flames under control, something through the window catches his attention. Peering in he sees someone from the past that he never thought he’d get to see again.

Quickly shuffling through his keys, he unlocks the door and quietly steps in, careful not to disturb the sleeping figure as he approaches the bar. 

_Sans_. It really is him… Looking him up and down, he sees that not much has changed with the elder skeleton brother. He’s still wearing that filthy blue jacket and black shorts paired with those abhorrent pink slippers…And he still bears the _injury_.

But he looks so peaceful, Grillby hadn’t seen Sans like this in many years, not since the famine, not since _Undyne_. His flames spiked in anger at the evidence of what the former Empress had done to his friend, she’s lucky he didn’t dust her when he discovered what she had done.

But he can understand. It was a difficult time, they were out of options and she thought what she was doing would save them all… consequences be damned… but it didn’t, and here Sans sits with the scars of his ordeal on display for the world.

But why is he here? After all this time, could it be…

“Sans.” He says gently, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

Startled, Sans jumps from his seat and stumbles back, scarlet orb blown wide staring at Grillby before clarity sinks in and he lets his jaw fall open in surprise. “g-grillby.” He stutters, mouth opening and closing with words he can’t seem to form.

“Why are you here Sans?” Grillby says softly, he doesn’t want to scare him away but he needs to know. “After all these years, why now?”

Seeming to fold in on himself, Sans shoves his hands deep in his pockets and looks at his feet. “i jus… some things have happened recently an’ it made me realize that i… that i should… well what i’m tryin’ ta say is…” He seems to choke on his words, muttering under his breath when he can’t quite string together a coherent sentence. Grillby schools his features so Sans can’t read his expression, he needs to let him work through this on his own. He has an inkling that Sans is here to apologize, and that he’s been carrying alot of guilt all these years. Sans needs to get these feelings off his chest, otherwise they may drown him. 

Rubbing the back of his skull nervously, Sans continues, “i-i don’ have a lotta people in my life that actually mean anythin’ ta me… sure i had ‘friends’ and that’s great an’ all, i’m not sayin’ i didn’ appreciate ‘em but they weren’t family ya know and… well all i had was paps for the longest time and then i had… well i-i had y-you.” Tears begin to form in the corners of his eyesockets as he stumbles over his words, “it’s been so long an’ i couldn’ face ya… i had ta hide cause i was so ashamed of what i’d made ya do and… well i jus couldn’ see ya, knowin’ ya hated me so much. but recently a new…friend of mine, showed me how much it hurts ta lose those close to you and i… i know i already lost you a long time ago but i can’t jus leave things how they were… i need ya to know i’m sorry… i’m sorry fer lyin’ to ya about undyne’s orders, fer gettin’ ya thrown in jail… ‘m sorry i let ya serve that…meat without knowin’ what it was. for what almost happened ta fuka because of it… stars, i’m _*hic*_ so so sorry grillby. you took us in an’ treated us like family and i repaid ya by almost costin’ ya your real one.” Blue tears start streaming down his skull as he finishes speaking. Grillby watches quietly as Sans wallows in grief over his actions.

When Sans came back from the Core with a bloody hole in his head, everyone had their suspicions. He claimed Undyne had instated a new order, that all humans were to be reported to Sans for processing. They were becoming more and more dangerous and she didn’t want anyone else to be harmed as he had been. Proving himself strong enough to survive a human’s attack, he would be the one to ‘collect’ them. 

But unbeknownst to Sans, one of the Snowdin residents was worried about him and had followed Sans to his meeting with the Empress. They hadn’t been able to hear everything, but were sure that Undyne had murdered Sans. After Sans had made his speech to everyone and left with Papyrus, the resident pulled Grillby and some others aside and told them what little he had been able to overhear and that he was sure the Empress was the one responsible for Sans’ injury, not some human.

No one knew what to believe and this info didn’t help their suspicions, but Undyne had been his brother's best friend and mentor in the guard, and Sans had been working hard to help fix the core. Surely she wouldn’t have tried to hurt Sans, let alone murder him. After some discussion they all decided to keep quiet and support Sans. With time, the truth of the matter would likely reveal itself.

When the next human fell, it was reported to Sans. He ‘collected’ the human and when he returned; he told the town that the soul had been used to power a new prototype core long enough for them to get a small amount of food harvested. That it was to be distributed at Grillby’s pub to make sure everyone received a fair share.

But Grillby wasn’t naïve, he knew what he was cooking wasn’t created with magic. He suspected it was the human but how was he supposed to turn away food? How was he supposed to let the monsters starve when there was meat sitting right in front of him… So he did what he thought was right, he didn’t out Sans for what he had done and he served the monsters their first real meal since the Core had shut down.

Then somehow, Undyne discovered that Snowdin had mysteriously been able to _eat_ again, and was determined to find out how. With the royal guard behind her, she burst into his pub demanding answers, answers that Grillby wouldn’t give. 

So the Empress locked him away, isolated him for weeks in an attempt to break him for answers. It was during this time that his daughter fell ill, she had been giving her rations to the remaining children in town and it had left her weak. When he was dragged away in chains, she began to lose hope as well and allowed the hunger to eat away at her. If not for Muffet’s last gift, (a pastry with a letter saying how now Fuka wasn’t allowed to fall down before she paid her back for the treat.) Fuka would have fallen down and he never would have seen his daughter again. That thought nearly drove him to reveal everything to Undyne, but just before he gave his confession Sans burst into the throne room with two large demonic skulls floating behind him, maws open and glowing with bright lights that radiated raw power.

The shock and horror on Undyne’s face when Sans burst in confirmed the rumors for Grillby’s, she had been the one to cause Sans’ injury and it didn’t appear as if she expected him to survive. Taking Grillby’s hand and glaring with barely restrained malice at Undyne, Sans led him back home where Fuka awaited, alive and better thanks to Muffet’s sacrifice.

But weeks alone in a cell with the memory of his daughter slowly sinking into the snow with not even enough energy left to cry as he was lead away in chains had broken Grillby somewhat, and knowing how close he’d come to almost losing her was more than enough to send him over the edge. He took all of his pent up fear and anger out on Sans and told him to get out of his sight. After that, Sans stopped delivering the meat and started sending Papyrus in his place. 

Placing his hand on Sans’ shoulder, he waits until the tears slow and Sans finally looks up at him with a mixture of grief, remorse, confusion, and _hope_. “I’ve never hated you Sans, I couldn’t. You did what you thought was right, and it saved so many lives. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and… well I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have pushed you away like I did; I was simply scared and worried for my daughter and used you as an outlet for my emotions. I don’t blame you for anything you did and am ashamed of the way I lashed out. I only hope that _you_ can forgive _me_. I wasn’t naïve to the situation, I knew all along what I was serving. I’ve been working with magic foods my entire life after all, and I shouldn’t have feigned ignorance and let you bear that burden alone.”

Squeezing Sans’ shoulder slightly, Grillby tries to hold back his own tears as he watches his old friend process his words. “I’m proud of you, you know? Of the monster you became. You could have let everything that happened break you, instead you shouldered a burden that no other monster would have been strong enough to carry. You saved us Sans, and we will be forever grateful to you.”

Sans’ face scrunches up as a fresh wave of tears fall down from his eyesockets. Wiping his face with the sleeve of his jacket, he throws himself at Grillby and holds him in a tight embrace. “t-thank you.” He says as he squeezes tighter, holding on as if Grillby were his last lifeline in the world. Wrapping his arms around Sans, Grillby finally lets a few tears fall as relief and joy flood his soul. “Welcome back old friend.”

Relieved to have his friend back where he belongs, the two catch up on how life has been since they came to the surface as Grillby preps the bar to open. Both had had their share of difficulties when it came to integrating, but Grillby was relieved to hear that Sans was living somewhere safe now, and with a human of all things! He hopes that means Sans is learning to forgive himself for what he’s done.

“Sans!?!” A chorus of exclamations come from the entrance. Grillby smiles as Sans stares wide eyed at the group of monsters standing at the door. Dogaressa, Doggo, Big Mouth, Bun Bun, Red Bird and Ugly Fish all stare in surprise at the skeleton sitting at the bar.

Dogaressa is the first to run forward, throwing her arms around Sans in a tight hug, “Oh Sans you finally came!” She cries. “I knew you would, I told all of them but they didn’t be- _leash_ me!”

Awkwardly returning the hug as more monsters gather around him, Sans chuckles nervously, “heh, well ya made such a compellin’ argument last we met I thought, _wine_ not?”

“ _Bahahah_! Oh Sans we’ve missed you!” Dogaressa says as she finally releases him. “Come, come! Over to our table, there’s so much we need to _ketchup_ on!”

Sans glances back at Grillby, and with a nod of encouragement he follows his old friends to their table to spend the evening joking and drinking just like the good old days. Grillby’s soul warms at the sight, a smile tugging at his cheeks as he watches. _He’s finally come home._

~~~~~

At far too late in the evening, Sans tumbles through a shortcut and lands face first in the front yard at Y/n’s house. Chuckling in his drunken stupor, he pulls himself up and stumbles through the door, trying his best to stay quiet. Papyrus and Y/n should be in bed by now and he doesn’t want to wake them, so with all the grace of a moldsmal on stilts, he makes his way to his shared bedroom, stopping in his tracks when a figure on the floor catches his attention.

Momentary clarity washes over him as his mind panics at the sight of Y/n lying on the floor curled up and unmoving in front of the locked room. Rushing over as quickly as he can, he bends down and holds his shaking hands over her body, “y-y/n?? y/n are ya alright??” He whispers, before finally placing a hand on her chest.

_Oh thank the stars,_ she’s still breathing. He looks her over closely, noting the lack of injuries. Maybe she was sleep walking? There’s no way Paps would have left her here on the floor if he had seen her, so it must have been recently.

Faintly he can feel her heart racing and soul panicking so tries to concentrate and send a few soothing pulses from his own to hopefully calm it down. It was suprisingly easy to do dispight his inebriated state. A few moments later he gets a few nervous but relieved and significantly calmer pulses back from thier soul.

Hesitating for just a moment, he swallows the lump in his throat and slowly slides his arms under her, scooping her up and standing on shaking legs. _Sober up Sans, you can’t drop her now._ He scolds himself as he carries her back to her room. As he approaches her door he hears soft whining coming from the other side.

Using magic to turn the knob he sees Daisy standing on the other side. Her tail wags in welcome and gratitude before giving a soft concerned whine while looking at Y/n. Placing her back in bed, he pulls the blankets up to Y/n’s shoulders and watches as her face relaxes. _~~So beautiful.~~ _ Daisy comes over and gives her a few sniffs before jumping in bed and cuddling up as close and she can, not disturbing Y/n in the slightest. “sleep well.” He mumbles before finally heading to his own room and crawling into bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as much as we like making our characters suffer, even we decided that Grillby (and Fuka by extension) did not need the added suffering of being continually burned alive by thier own flames like in the comic. (shudders)
> 
> Fanarts!!! <3 <3 <3
> 
>   
> [Paps rushing from Undyne! By @vhutch88-blog ](https://savvysp.tumblr.com/post/619278572063014912/this-chapter-inspired-yet-another-amazing-fanart)
> 
> [Sans and the duckies :) By @justzrero](https://savvysp.tumblr.com/post/619278383346597888/fsbdjsiejfnf-its-the-sweet-boy-and-the)


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for... scary dreams? Correct me if there’s a better term!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry we're late again!! Please forgive us for these awful life interruptions T.T
> 
> Here's a nice fluffy-ish chapter about what Y/n and Paps did while Sans was off having a much needed conversation with Grillbz!

“Alright Miss Toriel, I’ll see you soon!” You say cheerfully into the phone, bidding the _Queen of monsters_ goodbye. Once you hit ‘end’ on the call, you exhale deeply in relief, thankful that you handled that call rather professionally. If someone had told you that one day you’d be catering to such high-profile clients, you would have laughed at the absurdity.

Now you’re sweating bullets over the reality that you are indeed meant to cater to a Queen _and_ Ambassador… Are you really good enough for this kind of job? You’ve heard rumors that the Queen is quite the baker herself. What if you mess up? What if you can’t finish the order in time? Maybe you should shut the bakery down the day of the party just to be safe. 

“Y/N ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Papyrus startles you from your thoughts, poking his head through the kitchen door and giving you a concerned look.

“Oh yea, I’m fine. Just got off the phone with Miss Toriel, she’ll be stopping by in a bit to taste the samples we’re whipping up.”

“OH JOY!! I’M NEARLY FINISHED WITH THE STRAWBERRY CAKE; THAT LEAVES CHOCOLATE AND BUTTERSCOTCH!” He says before retreating into the kitchen once again. “AND DO STOP BITING YOUR FINGERNAILS Y/N, IT’S A TERRIBLE HABIT!”

Realizing you’ve been chewing mercilessly on your thumbnail, you pull your hand back and sigh. “Thanks…” You mumble before following him into the kitchen to finish prepping the samples. Heading straight for the sink, you wash your hands and try to let the stress melt away; you’ll be no good to anyone if you let it consume you; just breathe and take things one step at a time.

You have five small sample cakes for Toriel to try; the vanilla bean has been finished along with the orange cream cake, Papyrus is putting the frosting on his strawberry cake so that just leaves chocolate and butterscotch.

You set to work mixing the dry ingredients for the butterscotch cake, pushing your stress to the back of your mind as you begin mixing on autopilot. While you whip the batter, you think about what can be controlled: Papyrus’ party.

Tomorrow is the day he finally gets his braces removed and Sans actually got up early this morning to let you know he might not be back until late tonight and told you to go ahead on the planning without him; but he would definitely help you with the party tomorrow. Then he took off saying something cryptic about a hot-headed bartender you were too sleepy to catch. Something in your chest tingles at the thought of Sans meeting someone at a bar, but you irritably tell yourself it’s not really any of your business who he chooses to spend his time with. 

Time flies quickly as you fall into your normal routine with Papyrus, mentally listing everything you’ll need to get tomorrow to make his party as great as he is. Before long the two of you are putting the finishing touches on your last two samples.

“VOILA!” He proudly exclaims just before the doorbell chimes. Dusting the flour from your hands, you head to the counter to see a familiar goat monster stepping inside. You recognize her from the gardens, she’s the monster that frequents the Asgore statue and if your assumptions are correct, this must be Toriel.

  
She’s nearly as tall as Papyrus with soft white fur, two small horns that protrude from her head and long, floppy ears framing her smiling face. She’s wearing a violet sweater over a long, deep blue dress and… well it doesn’t appear she’s wearing shoes, but her feet look like large fluffy slippers and you briefly wonder how soft her fur must feel. 

“Good afternoon, you must be Miss Toriel?” You greet her with a smile.

“Why yes, and you must be Miss Y/n? I’ve heard so much about you from Papyrus, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She says with all the grace you’d expect from a Queen. Her hands are folded in front of her and she emits an aura of authority that has you straightening your back and attempting to present yourself as a semi-put-together adult that knows what they’re doing.

“All good things I hope,” You chuckle nervously, “If you’d just wait here I can bring out the samples and I’m sure Papyrus would love to see you!”

“Of course my dear.” She responds with a graceful smile. She’s much more put together than you had imagined but… well, you didn’t really know what to expect. Papyrus had told you a few things about the former Queen, that she loves puns and baking, she has a strange interest in snails and tends to incorporate them into her pies, and that she can be a teensy bit unstable at times. He claims it’s gotten better over the years, as Aliza has helped heal her tremendously, but some children tend to set off memories for her and she can be… overprotective.

“Hey Papyrus, it’s Toriel, you want to help me grab these samples?” You say as you step into the kitchen. Grabbing the butterscotch and vanilla cakes, you let Papyrus grab the other three and followed him back to the front counter.

“MISS TORIEL!! IT’S WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU AGAIN! WHY IT FEELS LIKE ITS ONLY BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE I LAST SAW YOU!” Papyrus nyeheh’s as he places the cakes on the counter.

Stifling a giggle with her sleeve, Toriel says, “Why, it _was_ only two days ago Papyrus dear. Now, what have we got here?”

Pushing one plate forward, you hand Toriel a fork, “This one is a vanilla bean cake with buttercream frosting, then we have an orange cream cake with a cool whip frosting, a strawberry cake topped with chocolate frosting and fresh strawberries, chocolate cake with a mint frosting and finally a simple butterscotch cake.”

Toriel takes a bite of each cake, placing a hand on her cheek and sighing happily after every taste. “Well my dear, you two have truly lived up to the expectations Papyrus had set for me! These are all so delicious that I’m at a loss as to which one I should choose!”

“That’s wonderful to hear your majesty, and as it so happens I just might have the perfect solution. Papyrus mentioned Aliza wanted the cake shaped like Mount Ebott?”

“Ah yes, the poor child has some delusion that eating the mountain will help make the monsters feel better somehow. I’m not sure where she got the idea, but I support her regardless.”

“Well, Papyrus has told me some stories about the underground and I understand there were 5 main areas; so I was thinking, we could do a tiered cake with each tier being a different flavor and decorated to represent each individual area?”

“That is a wonderful thought Y/n. It may do some good for the monsters to see their homes showcased in a brighter light. The mountain was a prison, but still the only home many monsters had ever known. Papyrus, do you think you’re familiar enough with the areas to give them a proper memorial?” 

“WHY, OF COURSE YOUR MAJESTY!”

“Excellent,” she says with a soft smile, “Oh there was one more thing. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble I had a fun idea that I would like your opinion on. How difficult would it be to gather the proper items required for a cupcake decorating competition?”

“A decorating competition?” You ask curiously.

“Indeed, it is my dear Aliza’s 18th year and I would love to have some form of entertainment, but she’s outgrown many of the traditional birthday games so I thought a competition of sorts would be fun. I will of course be happy to pay for any and all ingredients and supplies as well as for your time and any fees for acquiring such things on short notice; just send me an invoice for everything.”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea! I could order some piping bags in bulk and we can set up a few tables for decorating... We could put out a variety of different colored frostings, sprinkles, and small candy decorations for the cupcakes. The guests will have to rotate but I’ve got a polaroid camera back home so we could take pictures of each cupcake as they’re finished? Are you going to be voting for the favorite? If so, then we could pin them up on some sort of board with numbers? Also, is there going to be a prize involved or is this just for fun? Oh, and where are you having the party?” Realizing you’ve probably asked more questions than necessary for the baker, you blush and add sheepishly “Sorry, I got a little excited at the idea of a cupcake decorating competition… I’ve sorta always wanted to have something like that…”

Giving you a warm smile, she says, “Well by all means, if you wouldn’t mind taking charge then I would truly appreciate help putting it all together! We’re holding the party in the botanical gardens pavilion and I do believe Mettaton will be in attendance, perhaps I can convince him to donate some sort of prize for the winner?”

“GASP!!! DID YOU SAY METTATON WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE!?! I-I HAVEN’T SEEN HIM IN AGES! OH WOWIE HE’S ONLY GOTTEN MORE FAMOUS SINCE OUR LAST GET TOGETHER, THIS IS TRULY AN HONOR!” You can hear Papyrus’ bones rattling with excitement as he continues gushing over his idol, eyelights twinkling like little stars and smile set wider than you’d ever seen it.

“Maybe you can wear your new outfit to the party Papyrus? I bet he’d love seeing a fan in one of his designs!” He did look rather dashing, glitter and all, and a birthday party seems like the perfect place to showcase his new look!

“WEAR MY NEW DATE CLOTHES TO MEET METTATON? THAT SEEMS RATHER INAPPROPRIATE Y/N, I’M NOT TRYING TO SEDUCE HIM.” Papyrus looks appalled at your statement, as if trying to look nice was reserved merely for seduction.

“Well… they don’t have to be date clothes? They can just be… impressive clothes? But what you’re wearing now is fine! You don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to, it was just a thought.”

“HM… PERHAPS… PERHAPS THAT COULD WORK. AND I’M SURE METTATON WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO SEE SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I, WEARING SOMETHING OF HIS DESIGN… YES! I SHALL NOT LIMIT MY HOT PANTS TO ONE CATEGORY, THEY WILL MAKE THEIR DEBUT AT ALIZA’S PARTY AND I SHALL THOROUGHLY ‘WOW’ METTATON!”

Toriel giggles from across the counter, “It seems you two get along quite well. I’m happy Papyrus has made such a wonderful friend Miss Y/n.”

You smile at the word friend, and look up at Papyrus, “Yea, I’m pretty happy too.”

“Now, when should I arrive for pickup?”

“I imagine we can have everything finished and ready for pickup including all the extra supplies Saturday afternoon, is one o’clock okay?”

“Sounds lovely, I’ll see you then. It was a pleasure meeting you Y/n, and wonderful seeing you as well Papyrus.” She nods her head in your direction and smiles as she exits the bakery.

What an absolute delight! Not at all the intimidating Queen you had pictured, you’re relieved to know she seems so warm and kind, it’ll make this job much easier. A large smile forms on your face as you follow Papyrus back into the kitchen to finish work for the day, mentally going through your Pappy Party Plans for tomorrow. 

The rest of the day seems to fly by in a whir of sugar and flour and when you finally get home that evening, you find yourself a little disappointed that Sans isn’t there. Must still be out with his hot-headed bartender….

“Hey Papyrus, do you want some ice-cream? I’m sure we have a tub in the freezer somewhere?”

“DESSERT BEFORE DINNER? ABSOLUTELY NOT Y/N.” Papyrus says flatly.

“Oh come on, I’m pretty sure it’s opposite day, that means we should be doing dessert before dinner!” You plead; all you want is a big bite of your favorite ice cream, is that too much to ask?

He contemplates this for a minute, hand under his chin in thought before he squints his eyes suspiciously at you, “I DO NOT RECALL YOU MENTIONING THIS ‘OPPOSITE DAY’ EARLIER, SURELY IT IS SOMETHING WE MUST ADHERE TO THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DAY AND NOT JUST AT DINNER TIME?”

“Oh no, if you do it before dinner it gets too confusing for those who don’t celebrate it. And then when it’s time for bed, things can get a little fuzzy with the opposites, you know like, ‘should I stay awake when normally I’d be sleeping’ so it’s typically just a dinner thing.” You lie through your teeth, sweat forming on the back of your neck as you try to convince Papyrus to let you eat ice cream. Wait… when did you start needing his permission? You’re an adult and this is your home!

“HMMMMM. VERY WELL. I DO BELIEVE THERE ARE SOME ORANGE FLAVORED BISICLES IN THERE AND I WOULD… _HATE_ TO HAVE ONE. NYEHEHE.” Oh yay, he agreed! 

Bouncing like an excited child, you practically skip over to the freezer. You open the door and see a box of the monster version of popsicles right next to your tub of ice cream. Reaching into the box, you’re confused when your hand touches something… round, and very not popsicle-y. You wrap your hand around it and pull it out only to find that Sprinkles had somehow snuck into the freezer!?

“H-how… why? What!?” You stare gob smacked at the pet rock in your hand, “How long have they been in there??” You ask Papyrus.

“PERHAPS THEY WERE HOT? OR THEY WERE AWARE OF OPPOSITE DAY AS WELL AND THOUGHT BISICLES WERE THE OPPOSITE OF SPRINKLES! NYEHEH, WHAT A GOOD SPORT SPRINKLES!” Papyrus takes Sprinkles from your hands and places them on the table, grabbing a plate to place under them and a bisicle that he unwraps before breaking in half and leans the now unisicle against their side. You watch in wonder as it slowly starts to dissolve where it touches the rock.

“Well… okay then.” You pull the tub of icecream out and grab yourself a bowl. Sitting down with Papyrus and Sprinkles, you enjoy the distracting treat and try to keep your opposites straight as you laugh the rest of the night away with your best friend.

~~~~~

_“Y/n…. Y/n sweetheart….”_

_“Y/n… it’s daddy hon, wake up…”_

_“Dad…? M-mom…?” Did you hear right? Why were your parents calling for you? You’re so sleepy… you slur your words as you mumble an answer. “Whazit?”_

_“Honey wake up… We need you…”_

_“Come on sweetheart…”_

_You crack an eye open, wiping away the sleep that remains as you sit up to see what’s so important that your parents had to wake you up in the middle of the night._

_Looking around the room you don’t see anyone, but…_

_“Y/n… in here… come here sweetheart…” Where are they? Did that come from the hallway? Something isn’t right…_

_“Where are you two?” You ask aloud. There’s no answer but you hear something outside… is that… water dripping?_

_“Y/n…….. Y/n……” Comes a soft voice, is that your mom… or your dad? You can’t tell._

_Climbing slowly out of bed, you make your way to the door, flinching as it creaks open. The dripping sound gets louder as you peak into the hallway, seeming to come from your parent’s bedroom. Stepping out and carefully closing your door behind you; you take slow, nervous steps towards their room, watching as a puddle forms at the base of the door._

_“M-mom? Dad?” A red liquid bleeds into the water as you approach, pooling further into the hall until you’re forced to step in the water to open the door. Reaching a shaking hand out, you turn the handle only to find it locked._

_You hear a faint whining from behind you. Turning around you come face to face with two shadows. Freezing, you stare wide eyed as the figures approach, until they’ve stepped into the moonlight and you see that it’s your parents._

_“Oh thank…. good… ness…” Your words trail off as the momentary relief from seeing your family fades into fear at the sight of them. Your father’s nose has been smashed in, both eyes blackened and bleeding, his lip has a large split that’s caused the top to swell and he’s wheezing with the effort of breathing. The front of your mother’s dress is covered in blood, seeming to pool from her abdomen and dripping onto the carpet, both are staring at you with empty, lifeless eyes._

_“W-what…. What’s going on?” You ask, trembling._

_As both of your parents open their mouths, blood and water begin pouring out and through the garbled noises you hear them screaming, “Y/N!!! SAVE US Y/N!!” desperately._

_You stumble back in horror as they approach, screaming your name over and over, “I-I can’t help you! I d-don’t know how!!”_

_“Y/NNNN!!!!” They continue the garbled screaming shuffling forward until they’ve pinned you against their door. You collapse to the ground, close your eyes and cover your ears._

_“Please, stop! I-I can’t help you, I can’t save you!” You scream but they don’t care, they continue to call your name…continue to drown…continue to die, dragging you into the darkness with them._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Suddenly a soft white light illuminates everything. Your parents stop screaming and their features, while still terrifying soften with love and concern. Your mom comes over and places her hand over your racing heart. After a moment your father joins her and gently scoops you up, cradling you to his chest as he carries you back to your room. Back in bed now, you begin to relax as your parents tuck you in, smiling tenderly at you as they tell you to sleep well before fading away along with the light._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can thank Amy for the happyish ending! I was going to leave it on a bad dream >:3
> 
> (Amy Note - I mean we have been showing readers affects on Sans only fair to show how his actions affect her. ^.^)
> 
> So does anyone have any guesses on which cake flavors represent which part of the underground?


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AAAAALLLLRIGHT you beautiful readers!!! Finally, the chapter we've all been waiting on!! (and by we all, I mean Amy and I ^.^")  
> *Amy note-And would you look at that we actually published it on schedule.
> 
> We've had this one in the bank since Chapter 11, when HistoricallyDragon made a comment about us failing to address a drunk Papyrus (you remember, that one glass of wine that Y/n offered him waaay back when? hehe) 
> 
> Well here we are, the answer to the greatest question out there: What does Paps do when he drinks?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hnnnggggg, guys!! We're still so gobsmacked over all the kudos, bookmarks, comments, EVERYTHING that you are giving to us! The fuel it's been.... well I'm sure many of you can probably imagine ^.^ The love and support is filling up my barren soul and I can't stress enough how much we thank each and every one of you. 
> 
> YOU keep this story going, YOU keep us motivated, YOU should be very proud of the amazing people you are <3
> 
> Thank you!! (and enjoy)

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, how did things get so out of control!?

You’ve locked yourself in the bathroom trying to escape the two monsters in your home. You’re currently doubled over in pain with your hands over your ears, attempting to block out the noises coming from the bathroom door. Both brothers are out there, banging their fists against the door and trying to convince you to listen so they can gain access, but you’re not having it. Not after what they’ve done…

It all began earlier that day. You woke up to find Daisy practically on top of you. Seeing you awake she gave a small whine and a long, almost searching look before giving you a happy bark, a few licks and running out the door. Wait why was your door open?!?!

You feel like you’re forgetting something and it’s on the tip of your tongue when you remember what day it is. It was finally Thursday, the day Papyrus was to get his braces removed! Work seemed to alternate between moving at the speed of light or molasses, until finally Sans arrived so Papyrus could head off to his appointment. You and Sans finalized your plans for the evening as the two of you make deliveries.

Pulling the wagon behind you, you begin running through your mental checklist, “So I can take care of the shopping and dinner, could you decorate the living room for tonight? There isn’t much time to do everything before he gets home if we don’t work together.”

“yea sure but… we could always take a shortcut. it’ll make yer job faster.”

“Shortcut? Is that what you call your teleportation thingy?”

“heh… yea, tha’s what i call it. can’t go anywhere i haven’t seen but i could get us closer.”

“Oh wow that would be great!” You exclaim. The first time Sans had taken you through his ‘shortcuts’ it had been terrifying, but last time… well it almost felt pleasant.

Taking the hand that Sans extends for you, you close your eyes and wait as you feel a small wave of magic crawl across your skin like electricity. “a’right we’re here.”

Opening your eyes you see Sans has shortcut the two of you right in front of your first destination. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how easy that is! Maybe I should hire you as our permanent delivery boy.” You say with a giggle.

You see a small dusting of blue form across Sans’ skull. “let’s jus go already. runnin’ short on time, remember?”

You give him a skeptical look before brushing it off and heading inside to drop off your first order. In record time, the two of you have finished with the last of your deliveries and Sans drops you off one last time in front of your local grocery store before disappearing to take care of the decorations.

Heading inside, you make straight for the liquor aisle to browse the selection of human-made wines, but you aren’t sure it’s what you’re looking for. You wanted to celebrate the occasion with a good red but when you had given Papyrus wine last time, he told you it didn’t affect him at all. Apparently, the human stuff doesn’t quite do it for monsters, but you were at a complete loss with monster alcohol so you look around for a monster employee who might be able to help you.

You end up finding two monsters, the alligator monster known as Bratty and the purple cat monster known as Catty. You’ve dealt with them a few times, and sometimes they can be a little… overwhelming, but they’re both very nice and are more than happy to help you find what you’re looking for.

“So like, what kind of alcohol are you looking for?” Catty asks you.

“Well honestly I don’t know… I’m trying to buy something for my monster roommate to celebrate with, but I don’t really know what he likes. I gave him some human wine once but he said it didn’t do anything for him.”

“Like, duh! Human alcohol doesn’t affect monsters.” Bratty states.

“Yea, if you want to get a monster all worked up, you’ll need something with magic.” Catty follows with a wink.

You blush at the implication, “Oh no no no!! It’s definitely nothing like that, he just lives with me. Strictly platonic!!”

The girls share a look and a giggle before Bratty says, “Then like,”

“Why are you _totally blushing.”_

“She’s _totally blushing.”_

“Someone has a crush!”

“A _major_ crush!” The girls go back and forth at your expense, causing your face to light up even more.

“I do NOThave a crush on Papyrus!” You defend yourself.

The sudden name drop seems to startle the girls, “Oh. My. God! Did you say _Papyrus!?_ ” Catty starts.

“We like, LOVE Papyrus!”

“He’s the _sweetest_ monster out there!”

“But still not as amazing as Mettaton,”

“Oh definitely not as amazing as Mettaton.” The back and forth is making you dizzy, so you try and steer the conversation back to alcohol.

“Can you two please help me find something to drink tonight? I just want to celebrate him finally having his braces removed.” You say with an exasperated sigh. The girls are nice, but man this conversation has veered off track.

Bratty looks to you first, “Oh, well if you want to like, have a _great night,”_

“Then you totally want to try some of this echo wine.” Catty finishes.

“It’s _wicked_ tasty,”

“And you don’t have those pesky hangovers humans are always complaining about!”

Echo wine huh? “Is that made from echo flowers?”

The girls laugh before Catty says, “No! Those flowers are like, totally toxic.”

“ _Totally toxic.”_ Bratty adds.

“It would have been _great_ if we could use them,”

“Would have probably saved a few monsters.”

“It’s like, so sad.”

“ _So sad.”_

“It’s only called Echo wine because it glows blue.” Catty finishes.

Well that took a dark turn… you don’t want to bring attention to the fact that they just dropped a small reminder that monsters _died of starvation_ so casually _._

“Well… I’ll take a couple bottles of the echo wine then, but I do have one other question, would this echo wine taste okay mixed with… ketchup?”

This question seems to steal the smiles from the girls, “Did you just like,”

“Say ketchup?” Bratty finishes Catty’s question.

“Uhm, yea. You see, my other roommate is—”

“ _Sans?”_ The girls say in unison, catching you off guard.

“Uh, yea, Sans. I guess everyone knows he drinks ketchup huh?”

The two look at each other with an expression you can’t quite read before bursting into excited chatter amongst themselves.

“ _OH MY GOD CATTY!”_

_“OH MY GOD BRATTY!”_

_“_ Sans is like, totally alive!”

“Did you hear that!? OMG he’s been MIA for so long!”

“This is great! Like, we _totally_ need to tell Alphys!”

“She’ll be _sooo_ happy to know he’s okay!”

Alphys? Oh _hell no!_ “Excuse me, did you say Alphys?” You say interrupting them.

“Yea!” Catty answers.

“She’s like, totally our sister-from-another-mister!”

“She’s the royal scientist! Well, former-royal scientist.”

“Yea, now she’s like, just a scientist.”

“But still super cool.”

Jeez do these girls ever stop? Well they’re close to Alphys so you need to tread lightly here, “Okay yeah that’s great, but why would she be happy to know Sans is okay?”

Bratty answers you first this time, “Well she like, looked all over for him when we reached the surface!”

“She _sooo_ spent a ton of time trying to find him.”

“Said she wanted to apologize for something didn’t she Catty?”

“Oh, _definitely_ wanted to apologize for something Bratty.”

That’s weird, when you met her she only tried asking you about Papyrus. Maybe she just assumed wherever Papyrus was Sans would be as well, so she only asked about the one you had employed at the time. To be fair she wasn’t wrong if that was her assumption. Although he doesn’t seem to follow his brother around nearly as much, you don’t think he’s stopped completely. In fact now that you think about it, that’s probably why he was able to get you around so efficiently when you did your deliveries earlier; because he’d been following Papyrus and you on your routes.

You briefly wonder if she knows they both live with you now on top of being Papyrus’s employer. Well if she doesn’t already, it won’t be long now that Bratty and Catty know. Shaking your head while trying to look apologetic you decide it would be best to attempt to throw them off track with a little lie to hopefully avoid future confrontation until the boys are ready.

“Well, I actually ran into her awhile back, and she already knows that Sans is okay so I’m not sure it would mean much if you mentioned it to her now.” Please take the bait ladies, you silently beg.

You feel a small twinge of guilt as the two seem to deflate just a bit before Catty says, “Oh man that’s like, totally lame.”

“Yea, I thought we had something juicy for Alphy.”

“Yea sorry girls, now could we get back on track with the alcohol? I have a few other places I need to go after this.”

“Sure thing!” They answer at the same time.

*****

Choosing not to let the reminder of Alphys ruin your night, you decide not to tell the boys and save that conversation for another time. Today is about Papyrus, and you’re going to make sure he has the best night! You picked up a board game, an exclusive DVD of the latest Mettaton movie, some bottles of echo wine, a bottle of monster fire whiskey that _actually_ looks like it has flames dancing within the liquid, a few human beverages in case the monster stuff doesn’t do it for you, and you’ve made spaghetti for dinner. 

Sans did a surprisingly good job with the decorations, there are streamers hung all over the living room, a suspicious looking confetti cannon aimed at the door and a huge banner hung from the ceiling and facing the door with the words, ‘Em _brace_ your new freedom!’ plastered across the front.

Wearing party hats and standing under the banner you watch the front door open and as Papyrus steps in, you shout “Surprise!!!” just as the confetti cannon explodes and covers the unsuspecting skeleton with tiny tooth confetti.

Looking at the two of you in surprise, Papyrus asks, “WHAT, WHAT IS THIS?”

“It’s a surprise party for you for to celebrate getting your braces removed!” You say with a large grin.

“A SURPRISE PARTY? FOR… ME?” Papyrus raises his hands to cover his mouth as tears start to pool in his eyesockets, “OH YOU TWO DIDN’T HAVE TO—” Dropping his hands, Papyrus stares up at his brother’s banner and exclaims, “WHAT IS THAT!? IS THAT A PUN WRITTEN ON THAT BANNER?? AND IS THIS CONFETTI IN THE SHAPE OF TEETH?? NOOOO, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!! YOU’VE TURNED MY SURPRISE PARTY INTO A GIANT PUN… THE BETRAYAL…”

You laugh, “I’m, _hah_ , sorry Papyrus, but I promise we’ll make it up to you! We’ve got a fun night planned for us, starting with dinner.” You start walking towards the kitchen with the boys and you can’t help but add, “By the way, your teeth look great, and that’s the _tooth._ ”

You hear Sans chuckle, but Papyrus throws his skull back and groans, “BROTHER, LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE! YOU HAVE INFECTED OUR HUMAN WITH YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS, HOWEVER DESPITE YOUR UNFORTUNATE CHOICE OF WORDS YOU ARE CORRECT; I DO LOOK RATHER DASHING NOW THAT THOSE METAL CONTRAPTIONS HAVE BEEN REMOVED! I’M SURE I’LL BE BATTING AWAY SUITORS LEFT AND RIGHT ONCE THEY GET A LOOK AT HOW HANDSOME I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, TRULY AM! NYEHEHE!” He strikes such a confident pose with his scarf waving so valiantly behind him that you can’t help but clap enthusiastically.

“I have no doubt about that! You’re quite handsome indeed.” You say through light giggles as the boys take their seats at the table, a curious expression flashing across Sans’ face before he schools his features back into a lazy half-grin.

You grab the covered pot of spaghetti and take it to the table. When you remove the lid, Papyrus leans in and gasps, “YOU, YOU MADE SPAGHETTI.”

“Uhm… yea, that’s okay right? Sorry I just thought you had told me once that you used to make spaghetti all the time."

“THAT IS CORRECT Y/N, I’M SURPRISED YOU REMEMBERED.”

“Well of course I did, I remember _most_ of what you tell me. I’m a little forgetful sometimes, but I listen and when you talked about spaghetti, you just looked so happy.”

Smiling, but with a glint of something else in his eyesockets, Papyrus thanks you for the dinner and you all dig into the delicious pasta. Afterwards, you lead the boys to the living room so you can show them the game you’ve chosen.

“It’s called mousetrap, I thought you might like it because it’s sort of like a puzzle! Well, it’s really just an intricate trap but it’s a whole lot of fun!” You hope they like it.

“OH WOWIE Y/N!! THIS IS AMAZING! IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THE TRAPS WE USED… TO…” Trailing off, Papyrus goes quiet.

Oh no, oh shoot what happened now? Traps? They used to set up… oh Sugar Biscuits! Way to go Y/n, you silently berate yourself. “Papyrus I’m so sorry I wasn’t thinking, here I’ll get this out of here, I’m so sorry!” 

He snaps out of the daze he had gone into, and quickly says “OH NO Y/N IT’S OKAY! IT’S FINE. I DON’T MIND, REALLY!”

“No! Tonight is about you, and I’m determined to make it a good night! Instead, let’s move on to the next activity, I bought you Mettaton’s newest release!”

“GASP! REALLY!? OH MY GOODNESS IS IT THE NEW ROMANCE I’VE BEEN SEEING EVERYWHERE? BEAUTY AND THE BOX?!”

“The very same!” You smile while presenting the movie. After seeing several of Mettatons shows, you’ve decided you can barely tolerate his over-the-top theatrics, although you do love his spunky attitude. If only he was a teensy bit less narcissistic.

“OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SO EXCITING! I’M GOING TO GO PUT IT IN RIGHT NOW.” He snatches the case from your hands and runs over to the disc player.

“ya jus had ta grab mettaton didn’t ya.” Sans grumbles.

“Honestly, I feel the same as you. I was hoping we’d have a few drinks in us before we started the movie but my first plan ended a little sooner than anticipated” You whisper back to him.

He raises his browbone at you, “drinks eh? what did ya have in mind.”

You stand and give him a sly smile, “I’ll be right back,” you say with a wink, “hey Papyrus, I’m going to go grab your last present so we can enjoy it with the movie!”

“SURE, SURE, HURRY BACK OR YOU’LL MISS THE PREVIEWS!”

Rolling your eyes with a smile, you go to the kitchen to grab the bottles of liquor you bought, along with a few glasses and a bottle of ketchup. Juggling the fragile items in your arms, you make your way back to the living room.

Seeing you struggle with the glass items, Sans chuckles at you before using his magic to levitate everything from your arms and onto the table.

“Thanks for that.” You say graciously, receiving a nod from Sans. “Alright! So for me and Papyrus, I bought a few bottles of echo wine. I thought the monster alcohol might work better for the two of you, and I also grabbed a bottle of fire whiskey for Sans, and maaaaybe the two of us as well if we’re feeling brave!”

“OOOH ECHO WINE! THIS IS THE SAME KIND METTATON DRINKS! I CAN BE JUST LIKE MY IDOL, QUICK Y/N, POUR ME A GLASS!” Papyrus says with more enthusiasm than normal.

Laughing, you open the bottle of wine and pour two glasses while Sans mixes the fire whiskey in with the bottle of ketchup, as the three of you sit down to ‘enjoy’ the movie.

Not even 30 minutes in and Sans has already downed half the bottle of firewhiskey, while Papyrus has finished off your first bottle, and half of the second bottle of echo wine. It seems he was so excited to be just like Mettaton, that he had to drink like the robot too. Sans on the other hand, was just trying to drown out the sound of Mettatons mediocre acting.

“hey bro, why don’t we make this movie a little more interestin’?” Sans says.

Papyrus turns his head unsteadily towards him, “HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY MAKE THIS MOVIE MORE INTERESTING BROTHER? I ALREADY FIND IT QUITE CAPTIVATING!”

“heh, why don’ we take a shot of firewhiskey, every time the hunk of metal says ‘darling’.”

“HMMM, WELL I’M NOT ONE TO TURN DOWN A CHALLENGE, SO GAME ON BROTHER!”

Sans looks at you and raises a browbone, “how about you, ya in?”

You’ve only had the one glass of wine, so why not? “Sure! Let’s do it.”

…

…

Oh no, why did you say yes? Mettaton calls _literally everyone_ darling! The three of you didn’t even get through the whole movie before the bottles were all emptied. When the firewhiskey ran out, Sans started pouring shots of the echo wine, and now the three of you were beyond wasted.

“hey, hey paps, what’s the dentists favorite time of day?”

“I DUNNO SANS, WHAS THE DENTIS FAVORITE TIMES OF DAY?” Papyrus managed to slur out.

“ _tooth-_ hurty!” Sans says with a laugh, earning a loud guffaw from Papyrus as well a series of giggles from you.

“WAIT WAIT WAIT, DI-DIDN’T YOU ALREADY USE THAT ONE JUST THE OTHER DAY SNANS! I CAN DO BETTER,” Clearing his throat, he manages to say without slurring, “WHAT DO YOU CALL A DENTISTS ADVICE?” 

“what’s that?”

“HIS FLOSSOPHY! NYEHEHEHEE!!!” This time it’s you who laughs out loud, while Sans snickers in his seat.

The brothers give each other a look before grinning wickedly at you.

“KNOCK KNOCK!”

“who’s there?”

“DISHES.

“dishes who?”

“DISHES HOW I TALK SHINCE I LOSHT MY TEETH!”

“HAAAHAHA!” you can’t hold back your laughter, these two are killing you!

“how did the dentist become a brain surgeon? _his drill slipped_!”

“WHY, WHY DID THE DONUT GO TO THE DENTIST? HE NEEDED A _FILLING_!”

“you better _brace_ yerself paps, they’re gonna give me a _plaque_ for this next one! what do ya call a dentist that doesn’t like tea?”

“WHAT BROTHER?”

“ _denis_! hehe.” Oh stars, these jokes are getting worse and worse. You can’t take both of them ganging up on you like this!

“Stooop!” you giggle, “Stop _hah_ , I can’t handle anymore… _*wheeze*_ jokes! It hurts!”

Both skeletons laugh at you, “HEY Y/N, DID YOU KNOW THAT BAKERS TRADE RECIPES ON A _KNEAD_ TO _DOUGH_ BASIS??”

“Oh my god Papyrus!”

“hehe whaddya call a baker that quits their job? a _desserter_!”

“Noooo _*gasp*_ no more, please!” Your ribs are killing you from laughing so hard, these two really will be the death of you! You need to get away, quick!

Jumping up with a slight wobble, you run to the bathroom as fast as you can without falling over. Locking yourself in there, you double over holding your sides, trying to calm down your laughter. Unfortunately, the brothers aren’t finished with you yet, because now they’re banging on the door yelling puns and trying to get you to let them in.

“No! I can’t handle any more puns _*giggle*_ you two are killing me!”

“eh yer right. it’s probably fer the best anyways, i really hate puns about toilet paper, they’re just _tearable.”_

Groaning, you climb into the bathtub and suffer through the next hour listening to the boys throw puns at you through the door, until you all pass out where you are.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy everybody!! Remember us? It's uh... been a while ^.^" 
> 
> We honestly didn't expect the update to take this long, but work schedules prevented us from editing and this beast had some hefty editing/additions to get in! Hopefully the 15 pages this turned out to be is worth the wait! 
> 
> *whispers conspiratorially* it gets pretty cheesy hehe

Was waking up always this difficult? Why is your bed so hard…it’s absolutely killing your back! Opening your sleepy eyes and yawning, you push the blanket aside and sit up only to realize you’re not lying in bed, you’re lying in the bathtub.

_Oh that’s right…_ Memories from last night start returning the echoes of last night’s puns invading your thoughts. _Those boys_ …you chuckle to yourself. Rubbing your head, you realize Bratty and Catty were right; the monster alcohol didn’t give you a hangover! Thank the stars!

Glancing down at the blanket and pillows around you; you’re certain you had fallen asleep without them and there’s no way you would have left the bathroom, only to come back with them instead of staying in your much more comfortable bed. Looking at the door you see it’s still locked from the inside so that only leaves one option, _Sans_.

He must have done his shortcut thing to come tuck you in. That was thoughtful of him; you knew he was a bit of a mother hen, especially when it comes to his brother. Maybe you can get him to read you a bedtime story as well next time, you think, smiling to yourself. Things are definitely starting to look up between the two of you and that thought warms your heart. 

What doesn’t warm your heart is the realization that it’s only Friday and you have work! Climbing out of the tub with pillow and blanket tucked under your arms, you unlock the door and open it slowly, just in case the boys are still out there. To your relief, the hall is clear and you smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. 

Stopping for a moment to drop the pillows and blanket in your room, you follow the scrumptious scent to find Papyrus reading a newspaper and sipping from a glass of milk at the kitchen table. 

“Morning Papyrus!” you greet cheerily, reminded once again that you’ve evaded the ever-dreaded hangover. Monster alcohol is the best!

“AH, GOOD MORNING Y/N! I’M PLEASED TO SEE YOU UP AND ABOUT. HOW WERE YOUR UNORTHODOX SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS?”

“Ha… well my back is a little stiff from the tub but I think Sans gave me a pillow and blanket at some point last night, thank goodness! Otherwise I’d be walking away with a bit more than a stiff back.” Your grandfather had installed one of those gorgeous cast iron claw-foot tubs years ago and while very aesthetically pleasing, it’s definitely no feather bed. The material tends to be a bit on the colder side as well so without that blanket, you probably would have been pretty chilly. You’ll have to thank Sans later.

For just a second; you think you see a look of exasperation cross Papyrus’s face before quickly morphing into a down right devious grin and saying, “THAT WAS QUITE THOUGHTFUL OF MY BROTHER, IT APPEARS THE TWO OF YOU TRULY ARE GROWING CLOSER! BEFORE LONG WE’LL BE RINGING CELEBRATORY WEDDING BELLS! NYEHEHE!” 

You feel your face heat up at Papyrus’ statement. Flustered, you manage to sputter out, “W-what are you talking about Papyrus! That’s ridiculous!” Crossing your arms, you turn your face and pout, “Yes, we’ve probably gotten a little closer but that’s just because we finally talked through some issues we had. It doesn’t mean there are going to be _any_ wedding bells!”

“OH? THEN MY EYESOCKETS MUST HAVE DECEIVED ME, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT I HAD SEEN THE TWO OF YOU CANOODLING ON THE COUCH AS COUPLES DO.” He places a hand to his chin thoughtfully, “IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I DO BELIEVE YOU EVEN HAD A HAND UNDER HIS SHIRT WRAPPED AROUND HIS RIBS, A RATHER SCANDALOUS POSITION TO BE DISCOVERED IN NO DOUBT.” He finishes with a playful smirk.

The heat in your cheeks seems to increase tenfold at his words, you don’t remember grabbing Sans’ ribs at all, the only memory you have is of being jarred awake when you were suddenly pushed away from him. Oh fudge nuggets, what exactly did you do to Sans!? 

In your 28 years on this earth you’ve never _actually_ gone past second base, cutting yourself off from any meaningful relationships will do that. There were a few boys back in high school that you messed around with rather innocently, and you’ve definitely found ways to please yourself over the years, but actually doing the deed? You’ve never given yourself the opportunity.

Christ on a cracker, now curiosity is sinking its troublesome claws into you. You know the anatomy of a man; all the dirty parts and what-not, but skeletons don’t have the same squishy parts that humans have so what would those look like on a skeleton? It’s not like they have a… _penis…_ Do they? Magic _iiiiiis_ a new concept to you… 

“Pfffft!” You can’t stop the laughter from sputtering out at the image of a set of magical blue balls dangling between skeletal legs. If it wasn’t so dirty and personal, you’d have half a mind to give Sans a good ‘blue balls’ joke.

“WELL THAT WAS HARDLY THE REACTION I WAS EXPECTING?” Papyrus says curiously. You had nearly forgotten he was there! Oh no, what was the last thing he had said? Curse your easily derailed train of thought!

Embarrassed, you mutter a quick apology, “Sorry Papyrus, I uh… got a little lost in thought.”

Before he has a chance to question your naughty thoughts, you quickly change the subject, “So! It smells like you’ve got something in the oven, what’s on the menu today?”

Clearly catching on to your change of subject, Papyrus raises a browbone before graciously allowing it. “I’M GLAD YOU ASKED! TODAY WE HAVE A SCRUMPTIOUS BREAKFAST CASSEROLE OF MY OWN DESIGN. I’M SURE IT WILL BE THE FINEST CUISINE YOUR TASTE BUDS HAVE EXPERIENCED TODAY. NYEHE.”

You giggle at his exclamation as your empty stomach grumbles, “I can’t wait to try it! Do I have time to shower before we eat?”

“PERHAPS IF YOU’RE QUICK, 20 MINUTES OR SO?”

“Just enough time! I’ll be quick.” Unless you’re shaving, showers don’t typically take you too long. You don’t bother with makeup, so you can usually shower and be ready for work in around 20 minutes.

The hot water soothes your stiff back slightly and despite your promise to be quick, you spend a few extra minutes letting the water relieve your muscles. The casserole needs to cool down anyways, right?

Before you allow yourself to stand under the soothing heat all day, you reluctantly turn off the water and start putting yourself together for the day. If you stretch the shower out too long, Papyrus might come knocking and once was enough to last a lifetime.

A few days after Papyrus and Sans had moved in with you, you had apparently taken just a little too long to get ready and Papyrus came knocking, _*knock knock knock* Y/N? *knock knock knock* Y/N? *knock knock knock* Y/N?,_ making you think he had picked up a bad habit from watching a certain human tv series. It didn’t stop there though, he stood outside the door impatiently asking if you were ready yet, every ten seconds or so until you finally opened the door and had a little conversation about privacy.

He’d definitely taken your words to heart and hasn’t come knocking since that day, but you’d rather not push your luck. Besides, your stomach is making itself known with louder grumbles that demand sustenance immediately and you’ve never been one to deny it its fill! 

Dressed and ready for the day, you return to the kitchen to see Papyrus dishing out two servings of his delicious smelling casserole. You take your seat and look down to your plate as your mouth salivates at the scents wafting from the piece before you.

Giving Papyrus a quick, “thank you!” you pick up your fork and take your first bite, letting out an undignified moan. The combination of egg, sweet potato, mushrooms and bell peppers is surprisingly amazing. The peppers adding a slight crunch and the sweet potatoes giving it that sugary goodness that makes every bite a treat.

Swallowing the bite, you notice a warmth spread throughout your back and soon enough, the stiff ache had all but vanished. You smile at the relief you feel and find yourself once again thankful for the wonders magic has brought to the surface.

Bringing another forkful to your mouth, you wonder how much time had passed since you’d last been so well-fed on a regular basis? For years you’d lived off frozen meals for dinner and had always settled for a quick piece of buttered toast for breakfast, only putting an effort into cooking when you were stressed or experiencing a… moment.

Since the boys moved in though, you’ve had something home cooked for every meal, you haven’t had that since…

Suddenly, you aren’t quite so hungry anymore, but if you don’t finish eating then Papyrus will sense something is off and ask you questions you don’t want to answer so you reluctantly swallow the lump in your throat and take a large gulp of water. Keeping your hand steady, you shovel the remaining bites of casserole into your mouth.

You’ll get through this, just push it down, it only feels this way because of the soul flash opening that old wound. You just need to bury it again. Move on. Everything. Is. _Fine_.

~~~~~

It wasn’t a particularly busy Friday, which gave you and Papyrus plenty of time to plan and design the cakes for Aliza’s party. After the two of you had finished making your last delivery, he helpfully reminded you that you still needed to purchase your gift for Aliza and that helpful advice is what led you here… to the Flower King gardening shop… staring up at a very intimidating blue fish lady you vaguely remember seeing once before; with a name tag that reads ‘Undyne’…

“Did ya hear me punk?” She says impatiently. Oh stars, is this _thee_ Undyne, the former Empress, the one responsible for the deaths of all the humans who fell underground; _the one who hurt Sans?!?_

The thought of Sans jogs something in the back of your mind. Something he said during your encounter with him a few days ago, right before your soul flash. You feel it was something important but got lost in everything else that happened and now you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Deciding to push the frustratingly incomplete thoughts aside, you return to the present to deal with the irritated and possibly dangerous fish woman who probably ate humans like you for breakfast…literally. You hadn’t actually seen pictures of the former Empress before, but you knew her name was Undyne and this intimidating woman sure looks like she could do some damage and had a certain air of authority about her. Although quite different from the one Toriel gave off.

“Do ya need any help? Or are ya just gonna stand there starin’.” She narrows the eye that isn’t covered with a patch at you as you sweat nervously under her gaze.

“O-oh no I uhm, I think I’m good. Thanks though!” You scurry past her and start shuffling through the wares in an attempt to escape her withering glare. How did someone like that end up working in a flower shop of all places? 

Peeking through the shelves you watch as she makes her way back behind the counter, plopping unceremoniously into a chair and leaning back while drumming her fingers on the counter in boredom. Her red hair is pulled into a high ponytail and she’s wearing a green apron over a white tank with skin tight black pants. She looks incredibly out of place surrounded by bright, colorful flowers, and for a moment you wonder where her life has taken her since the Underground.

Is her working here some sort of community service? You’re pretty sure you had heard something about her going to prison after the monsters were released. She had apparently taken the blame for every crime that monsters committed while they were trapped, but after the ambassador had made some sort of deal with the government, she was absolved of all charges. So maybe that means she’s doing this to try and avoid violence? 

You try to ignore the rampant thoughts that ran through your mind and choose instead to focus on your goal: finding a gift for Aliza. Looking through the shelves, you find that monsters have similar gardening tools to humans, but they come with a series of handles that cater to the many different forms they had, including ghosts! You spend some time browsing the flower varieties for sale, some of which come from the underground and you’d love to add to your home garden, but you decide to come back for those later; hopefully when someone else might be running the store. For now you’re here for Aliza and she’s a human, so you choose items that she could wield and take your selections to the counter for checkout.

Trying to remain neutral, you force a smile onto your face as you watch Undyne ring up the items.

“Do I know you?” She asks suddenly, her scrutinizing gaze burning a hole right through you.

“Oh probably not, I don’t get out too often.” You shrug, successfully keeping your tone even as you attempt to remain calm. Surprisingly, your nervousness from earlier was slowly giving way to anger. It might not be your place and maybe there were no other options as you don’t know the whole story of what took place underground, but surely after everything, a few years in prison isn’t enough to make up for it. In fact, prison was probably a vast improvement compared to what the underground had been. So does she even feel any regret for what she did? _Does she feel bad at all?!?_

While you take a moment to try to get ahold of your thoughts and emotions, recognition seems to dawn on Undyne. She slams a fist down heavily on the counter, a few cracks webbing out from the impacted area, “You’re the one that hired Papyrus! I _knew_ I recognized you!”

WHAT!? How did she know that!? “Look, can ya do me a favor?” She exclaims, reaching across the counter to grab your hands roughly, “I _really_ need to talk to them, got to make things right. I screwed up pretty big and I-I…” She pauses, chewing on her bottom lip as she seems to fight some internal battle; fins drooping in clear distress.

Something in her words sends a painful jolt through your soul, she seems so lost. You look at your bagged items and wish that she had never recognized you. You should have left when you had the chance. First Alphys, now her? Why are they trying to use you as a messenger? You don’t want to be the one to bring this painful reminder to the brothers and it really isn’t your place to get involved.

The anger you had felt just a moment ago was quickly evaporating, was this really the cruel empress who ruled with a confidant and uncaring iron fist that you heard about? A moment ago you could have believed it but the person in front of you now looked so uncertain, hesitant… _vulnerable_. Deep down something whispered that this was wrong, things weren’t supposed to be like this. _SHE_ wasn’t supposed to be like this.

At a bit of a loss, you gently but firmly remove your hands from her grasp seeming to startle Undyne out of her thoughts. But before she has a chance to continue where she left off, you hold a hand up 

“Listen, I… Alphys tried this with me already. Papyrus told me a little about what happened but it’s not really my place to… If you want to talk with them then you’ll just need to find a way to do that yourself. I’m sorry.”

“Wait! But I—" You raise your hand again, cutting her off.

“No, this is between you guys and YOU need to do whatever it is you need to do.” You say bluntly. Some part of you warns that it probably isn’t the smartest move to argue with the quite dangerous fish lady but another part of you insisted that this wasn’t a matter you should back down on, that you needed to stand your ground. So you do. You cross your arms and look her directly in the eye. Almost daring her to be the first to glance away.

Looking for a moment like a true fish out of water. She gapes at you, staring right back while seemingly searching your face for something. After what felt like an eternity, Undyne is the one to break it off. But not in one of the ways you had thought she would. You had expected either anger at being challenged and defied or guilt and shame but no. Instead she’s doubled over with laughter while pounding her fist on the counter. You grab the items you were buying off the counter so they don’t get damaged and back up a few paces watching her warily.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! OH MY STARS!” Undyne takes several huge breaths before smacking herself in the face. Then she flashes you a smile full of sharp teeth and vaults over the counter at you. You don’t even have time to react before you’re grabbed up in a bear hug and swung around before quickly being transferred to a headlock for a noogy.

“Wow human, you sure have guts I’ll give you that. No wonder Paps chose ya! An’ I guess you’re the reason why Sans is comfortable enough to start his stand back up instead of bein’ camped out somewhere in Paps’ vicinity 24/7. STARS! I can’t believe I was being such a DUMBASS!!! Of course I need to grab the goat by the horns an’ stop pussyfooting around. Can’t believe I let Al talk me inta taking things slow an’ gentle and I needed a human to tell me ta stop bein’ such a wimp. ACTION!! That’s what’s needed not this talkin’ crap. They can’t avoid me forever and I WILL make things up to them! In fact, I’m going to do such a good job that THEY’LL have to make it up to ME!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

As Undyne begins to laugh maniacally while you’re still trapped in a head lock, you wonder if you made the right decision. You hadn’t exactly meant to sick her on the boys with your refusal, but it looks like it was a bit late for that. Guess you’ll just have to give the boys a heads up. However, despite your misgivings, the small part of you that had felt things were off earlier had for some reason grown silent. No not silent, satisfied.

You give a startled yelp as Undyne suddenly drops you. “Shoot sorry human. Anyway you came here to buy junk right? Tell ya what, as thanks for the pep talk your gardening shits on me. Now shoo I’ve got battle plans to make!” And with that Undyne vaults back over the counter and starts grabbing seemingly random items and setting them up much like you have seen Papyrus do with his figurines.

Standing there awkwardly for a moment, you realize you should probably take her up on the offer to skedaddle. Given enough time who knows what other messes you might get yourself into so you check that you still have everything you came for then hightail it out of there.

“Y/n?” Comes a voice from behind just as you make it around the corner to escape the Flower King shop. Now what? Turning cautiously, you’re surprised to see a pair of your parents’ old friends. _Great_. It’s one of _those_ days isn’t it?

“Oh, hi Mrs…” You can’t remember their names; you haven’t seen them since the funeral and have since tried to forget everything about that time. If you remember right, you had mentally deemed them the intrusive uptights that didn’t understand personal space. The wife was about 4 foot nothing while the husband towered over you. Both had greying hair and hazel eyes, dressed in matching overcoats that typically you’d find adorable for a couple their age, but the memory of their hands all over you, trying to hug, touch, or pat your cheeks when all you wanted was to be alone, left a sour taste in your mouth that clearly hasn’t waned with time.

“Wallace, Jane and Aaron Wallace.” The woman, Jane, replies with a smile, “Oh my my my my my, Aaron, just look at her!” She rushes up to you and places a hand on each of your cheeks, causing you to cringe internally. You can smell her potent perfume and have to suppress a gag as she coos at you. How old does this woman think you are?

“Oh dear you’ve grown so much, you look just like Drake did at your age! That is, if Drake had been a woman haha!” She laughs obnoxiously. “Why, if your father could see you now—”

“But he can’t, can he?” You say a little colder than you had intended. It’s been awhile since you had actually heard someone refer to your father by name.

“What I think my dear wife meant to say,” Mr. Wallace chimes in, placing a hand on his wife’s shoulder that thankfully causes her to release the grip she had on your face, “is that we’re glad to see you looking well. It’s been far too long and we’ve hoped the years have been kind to you my dear.”

Well fiddle-sticks, you can’t exactly snap at them now. With a sigh, you say, “Yes, I’ve been doing fine. Thank you for asking. I am a bit busy though, so I don’t mean to be rude but I should be going.”

“Of course, of course,” Mr. Wallace says, “It was wonderful running into you Y/n, I do hope we see each other again soon.”

“Have a good day Mr. Wallace, Mrs. Wallace.” You nod towards them, turning on your heel and hightailing it out of the mall as fast as your legs will take you; vaguely overhearing Mr. Wallace chide his wife about personal space. At least it seems one of them understood your discomfort after all.

Unfortunately the encounter had reminded you about one of the other problems you had been avoiding.

Drake…growing up it had never been an issue, one of your best friends sharing your father’s name, but after your dad passed away… Well, it had been one of the reasons you couldn’t stand being around your best friends anymore. One of the reasons you’d had to push him and Sarah away. His name an unfortunate constant reminder of what you’d lost every time you heard it.

You had been surprised that it didn’t hurt nearly as much after all this time when you saw him again at his Grandmothers and had been looking forward to possibly mending that bridge. But then the soul flash with Sans had happened and tore the lid off the jar you thought you’d finally managed to close. Besides, if what Sans said was true about the person he’s become…well let’s just say with the conflicting feelings you currently have for your old friend; hearing the name again doesn’t exactly fill you with nostalgia anymore. 

Stars, this is too much to handle right now, you need a drink and there are several bottles of human alcohol at home with your name on them.

~~~~~

_Stars it’s been a day_ , Sans thinks as he finally walks through the front door like a ‘normal’ person. There had been some sort of event at the botanical gardens today and everybody and their mother wanted to stop by for the ‘crazy barking hot dogs’. Not that he should be complaining, it’s the most business he’s had so far, but the customers seemed to keep coming and before he knew it, the sun had gone down and the gardens had closed. He missed dinner with his brother and Y/n but according to the response he’d gotten from Paps, she had been out shopping and he’d decided to stay with Aliza for the night so they could plan for her party the following weekend.

“Heyyy Sans~” Y/n almost purrs from the couch, startling him from his thoughts.

“uh… hey.” He watches her warily as she twists around to see him. What was with that voice? It almost sounded…seductive, but that couldn’t be right. He must be more tired than he thought. 

“Didja eat yet?” She asks, draping herself upside-down over the arm of her seat. What the…that couldn’t possibly be comfortable for her?

“eh, no?” He says hesitantly, why is she acting so weird? “was jus about ta grab somethin’”

“oooookaaay~” She replies in a singsongy voice. Ignoring her strange behavior, he shuffles to the kitchen, only to open the fridge and stare in confusion at the single container of cheese sauce sitting alone in the middle of the fridge. _Where did all their food go_ , he thinks with some trepidation.

Pushing down his anxiety so he doesn’t worry Y/n; _~~can’t let her worry about food, I’ll take care of it tomorrow~~ _he remembers the bag of chisps hidden in his room that he can eat with the cheese. Reaching out, he starts to grab the cheese but is startled when he hears Y/n shout “STOP!”

Whipping around, hand half raised and magic ready to defend himself; he stops when he sees Y/n standing, or rather, wobbling in the doorway. “what tha hell are ya tryin’ ta do, get yerself killed?!” He says accusingly, but she ignores his tone and starts to giggle.

Baffled, Sans stares at her, “That isn’t yours.” She says with a lopsided smile.

“s’cuse me?” He asks with a raised brow. “what isn’t mine?” What the hell is going on, is she drunk?!?

“ _pfft_.. the-the cheese… IT’S _NACHO_ CHEESE!” She exclaims excitedly before dissolving into a fit of loud snorts and giggles. “G-get it? Not yours? _Haha_!”

Watching her lose herself to laughter, Sans reaches a hand up to grip the front of his shirt, just above his sternum. His vision starts to wobble and blur at the edges as the sound of her laughter sends pleasant chills up his spine and he feels his soul thrumming with joy, seeming to reach out to her with invisible threads.

“Saaaans~” he hears her call out to him in that singsongy voice again, the sound of his name on her lips nearly drawing him to her.

_Oh shit._ He thinks as he rapidly takes several shortcuts to the privacy of the echo flower cave, the sound of her laughter still ringing in his skull. _No no no no no…._ This can’t be happening, he doesn’t really…is he starting to…he can’t possibly…

Sans collapses to the cave floor; back against the wall as he tries to get control of himself. Taking a deep breath he stares up at the ceiling and gradually lets it out; as he does so he realizes he can’t deny it anymore. Slowly, gently he runs his phalanges across the tops of several nearby echo flowers while he lets everything sink in.

_*I hope she says yes._

_*Yesterday I lost my first toof!_

_*Will anyone ever really love me?_

_*You’re so beautiful._

_*damn it!!! (Sounds of something hitting the rocky walls repeatedly, accompanied by frustrated growling.)_

Startled he pulls his hand back like he’d been burned, before cautiously reaching back out to stroke the petals of that last echo flower.

_*damn it!!!_ He listens to the familiar sounds of his own frustrated growls as the flower seemingly mocks him.

_._

_._

_._

That’s right, he had come here right after his first encounter with Y/n. He must have activated this flower by accident at the time of his little melt down…stars it seemed so long ago; was it really only last week? So many things seemed to have happened since then…and now…

Oh for the love of Toriel’s snail pie, he is _sooooooo_ boned.

Listening to the echo flower one more time Sans leans back and closes his sockets.

About three things he was absolutely certain.

First, despite everything he had somehow fallen for Y/n and there was definitely ‘something’ there.

Second, as much as she had been trying to hide it and bottle things back up; he knew being forced to relive some of her worst memories had really taken a toll on her and taking advantage of her emotional vulnerability would make him even more of a ‘monster’ than he already was. Y/n was absolutely not in a good place right now and it was entirely his fault.

Which leads to the third thing, he absolutely did NOT deserve someone like her. He really would be sick in the head to even consider getting together with ANY human, let alone _her_ after everything he had done underground. And that’s not even counting all the asinine and bone headed things, not to mention _actual_ harm, he had done to HER specifically…

No she deserved someone better. Maybe if things had been different he might have tried courting her, the old him certainly would have given it a try, especially after what she pulled tonight. He couldn’t help grinning like an idiot at the vision of her standing in the kitchen doubled over laughing while drunkenly trying to explain her nacho cheese joke…

But things were what they were. Decisions had been made and now he had to live with the results; starting with trying to be an actual friend. The damage was already done, all he could do now was try his best not to make things worse and provide support where he can…if she’ll even allow him.

Opening his sockets, his eyelight lands back on the echo flower. He listens to it one more time before taking a deep breath and steeling himself. He will entrust this flower that once held echoes of his rage and confusion with the feelings he will never tell Y/n, or anyone else for that matter. Get them off his chest then lock them away.

Leaning forward he whispers to the flower as quietly as possible, “hey cupcake, look i know i’m no _gouda_ for you and yer probably _cheddar_ off without me. in fact i deserve ta be forever _provolone_ but i _camembert_ any longer…i just wanted ta say…i’m pretty _fondue_ you.” 

Laying down, Sans closes his sockets again; he’ll head home in just a bit. As he falls asleep he feels his soul call out sadly to Y/n and for just a moment— a moment that his tired brain probably imagined— despite the great distance, it was answered. 

~~~~~

Your laughter abruptly cuts off as soon as you see Sans disappear. No, no, no. nononononononono. You were just trying to make him laugh. Why did he leave? Does he think you were laughing at him? Making fun of him? Why can’t you do anything right. Why are you such a terrible person? _Why does everyone leave you?_

You collapse to the floor and start to sniffle a bit. It’s all your fault. You’re the reason everyone leaves you. Your fault you’re alone. You bang your head on the wall. Stupid, you’re so stupid. You pushed them away. You…push…push? Pull is the opposite of push. So if you just pull back everyone you pushed away, everything will be good; your drunken mind helpfully supplies you.

Yeah you can do that! You grin and excitedly try to get back up. Unfortunately, in your current state it takes several tries and you’re out of breath by the time you get back on your feet. But you did succeed so surely that means you can do anything you set your mind to. Right?

Ok pull…you just have to pull people back, hmmmm… Oh right Drake, you pushed him away because of his name. Boy that was silly of you, definitely time to fix that. Wait but Sans doesn’t like Drake…Why doesn’t Sans like Drake again? _Oh_ , because Drake doesn’t like him, that’s why. Well they’re both idiots. Idiots that like jokes!!! Yeah they both like jokes…and sweets! Oh yeah, Papyrus makes good sweets and you also make good sweets. You should have Drake come to your bakery and have Papyrus make something for him! Sans can be scary and disappears so you should start with Papyrus who doesn’t disappear and is sweet! Then once Drake and Papyrus are friends, Sans and Drake will become friends and realize that they like jokes and you like their jokes and you can all be friends again!

Now that your mind is set on a plan, you head off to find your phone and put it in action. Meanwhile a part of your brain currently clouded by alcohol tries to warn you that there was more to the story; you pause for a moment. What were you missing…You feel like there was something you should be mad or worried about but when you try to think back to the encounter, memories from the soul flash try flooding back in so you immediately stop trying to think about it.

Eh, sober you can deal with whatever weirdness there might be.

Speaking of weirdness, you’ll have to ask Drake about Sarah. After your unexpected meeting with Drake you had decided to try and reach out to her but found that none of your contact info led anywhere. Although, considering it’s been 10 years you’re not entirely surprised. She may have been your best friend growing up but she and Drake were clearly meant for each other and were practically inseparable from day one. So it was weird that Drake didn’t mention her at all when you saw each other. Maybe he told her its _nacho_ cheese too and she left him like a certain someone left you; you think bitterly before shoving that thought back into the hole it crawled out of.

Finding your phone you send off a few texts to Drake telling him he should swing by your bakery tomorrow for that free treat you promised him. Also that you were mad at him for being stupid but you don’t remember why so he better explain things or else! Oh and that you had made some new friends and you think he would really like them if he got to know them so he needs to meet them. Did you forget to mention there will be free food?

Satisfied that the hook had been properly baited, you get in bed and proceed to stare at the ceiling. The house was so quiet. No one but you in the house; you don’t even know where Daisy went. But that’s ok you tell yourself, you just have to put up with it a little longer and things will go back to normal.

As you continue to lie there, trying to ignore unwanted thoughts and the emptiness of your home you think you hear something. A sad but comforting song and you decide to hum along as the melody softly lulls you to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, I hope you thought this chapter was gouda ;) 
> 
> It was definitely a 50/50 contribution and made me so so so so so so very happy that I have Amy on board X3 
> 
> Also, I've been waiting SOOOOO very long to drop the nacho cheese joke! It was how I always wanted Sans to realize his feelings, and Amy boosted that with his cheesy response!!


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